Prince of Persia: Another Outcome
by Mr.Tang Lung
Summary: What if the Prince and Kaileena arrived early to Babylon? The result involves being trapped within a love triangle, a whole kingdom under siege, a crazy Vizier and a psychopath alter-ego. What could possibly go wrong?.
1. Homecoming

**WELL WELL WELL, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A NEW P.O.P FANFIC? HAHA! HELL YEAH...**

 **"DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ELEMENTS/CHARACTERS FROM THIS STORY. ALL OF THEM BELONG TO UBISOFT AND I DO NOT GET ANY PROFIT FROM THIS"**

PRINCE OF PERSIA: ANOTHER OUTCOME

 _"Look Kaileena. We are almost there"_ Said the Prince as he glanced at the grand entrance of his beloved kingdom, Babylon. Happiness could be detected within his tone.

 _"It seems we made it, my Prince"_ spoke the empress as she stepped out of the cabin to the deck of the ship and joined him _"Finally you will find comfort after all you have been through"._ Continued Kaileena. The Prince turned at her and smiled. With his fingers he caressed her cheek. _"I've already found all the comfort I needed"_. Right after he gently cupped her jaw and kissed her temple. She returned the kiss this time crushing her lips with the prince's.

 _"Oh I almost forgot, Kaileena. Perhaps you should...cover yourself a little more. Don't you think?"._ A grin quickly appeared on her pale face and with a seductive voice she responded _"I thought you liked my outfit"_. He laughed and smirked _"I don't like it, I love it. But you see, we are about to see none other than the king of Persia, my father. Plus-"_ The Prince was suddenly interrupted by his lover, who had placed a finger in his mouth. _"I know, Prince. I'll do it, but you owe me something in return..."_ Both smiled at the same time. Their faces reflecting the feelings they had for each other.

Eventually they finally reached the pier of Babylon. Just in time to admire the precious sunset the Persian kingdom had to offer. Both the Prince and Kaileena were wearing brown, ordinary robes with hoods. _"I don't want to caught any attention until we reach the palace for I do not want to explain what happened to my entire crew, at least for now"_ muttered the Prince to her lover as they jumped out of their all the Prince's efforts it didn't take long for one of the guards who was patrolling the pier to recognize him.

 _"I don't believe this!"_ Screamed the young man in happiness, he had short, brown hair, tanned skin and much to the Prince's surprise, blue eyes. However, the most interesting characteristic he had was his armor, it was quite different from the ones the other guards had. He certainly was no mere soldier. _"BEHOLD EVERYBODY! THE PRINCE OF PERSIA! HE IS BACK!"_ As soon as he spoke everybody stopped what they were doing immediately and turned to the two mysterious figures.

 _"(Damn it...it looks like I have no choice)"_ Thought the Prince. _"Yes! I'm back! The Prince of Persia salutes you all, my people!"._ Everyone remained in silence for an uncomfortable moment but then the people cheerfully began to clap and wave their hands crazily.

 _"My Prince! It's an honor to have you back! But where is your crew? It looks like you have a companion though"_ Said the man as he bowed to him. _"I'll explain that in other occasion. As for this lady, she is my special guest"_ Answered the Prince. _"Oh I see. My most sincere apology for not showing the proper respect, my lady"_ Said the guard. Kaileena smiled and simply nodded.

 _"Can you take us to the palace? We are very tired after the long journey we've been through and we need some rest. I also seek to see the king"_ Asked the Prince and before he knew it, a luxurious chariot came and took them to the palace.

 _"Here we are, my Prince. If you need anything just look for me"_ Said the Guard.

 _"I will...but you haven't told me your name yet"_

 _"Oh! That's true, silly me! My name is Dardan, general of the south regiment of the royal army"_ Answered the brown haired man with a friendly expression engraved in his young face.

 _"I see, it's good to know that our army have such polite and sympathetic people conforming it"_ Spoke the Prince before briefly shaking hands with his new friend. Soon after, both Kaileena and the Prince entered the palace. A guard was escorting them.

He had forgotten how beautiful his home was. Marbled walls, blue carpets covering the floor, giant ebony doors, stunning statuettes and flags with the royal seal painted across them. _"This is so beautiful..."_ Said an amazed empress as they walked through the large halls of that royal structure. _"Here we are! The throne room"_ exclaimed the guard as they met a humongous golden door. _"Open up! The Prince of Persia is back!"_ Commanded the guard. The giant door opened as soon as he spoke, revealing an immense room with giant blue curtains at the sides, marbled pillars, exquisite carpets and a superb scent of incense. Last but not least, the throne which was situated in the center of that majestic room. And there he was, the King of Persia, Sharaman.

 _"Father...I'm back!"_ Said the Prince as he walked towards him, his father was doing also doing so. _"Come here my son! You have been missed!"_ Cheerfully exclaimed the king as he tightly embraced his son. Tears were falling from his face.

 _"Sorry...sorry for all the pain I put you through, father. It's over now"_

 _"No need to be sorry at all! This isn't the time nor the place to be so melancholic. Now it is time to celebrate!"_ Said Sharaman between sobs as he released him. That was when he noticed the feminine figure standing near the closed door. _"It looks like you haven't came alone!"_ Cheerfully appreciated the king.

 _"It's a matter of fact I don't, father. Her name is Kaileena and is my special guest. She comes from the isl...uh...she is the ruler of a kingdom from far away!"_ The Prince was getting nervous again for he didn't know how his father would react if he discovered who she actually was. He preferred to keep it secret for now.

Kaileena walked towards them and politely saluted the king. _"It's an honor to be standing here. Your kingdom's beauty have no match"_

 _"The honor it's mine, your highness"_ Said the gentle man before turning again to his son. _"I can tell women from her kingdom must be as beautiful and polite as her ruler is"._ Kaileena blushed after hearing this. The Prince on the other hand was remembering his luck with women back in the island, all of them wanted to kill him and actually tried to do so. Shahdee came to his mind almost immediately, the scars, the slaughter of his crew, his ship, his swords... _"(...You bitch...)"_ thought the Prince.

 _"Anyway, I reckon that you two have been through too much stress. Travelling on a ship for such a long time must be quite exhausting. I had the servants preparing a room for you a long time ago...but now I believe that they should prepare another one"_ Said Sharaman to his son. Then Kaileena took the word _"That won't be necessary, my king. The Prince and I would like to share the room if that does not suppose a problem"._

 _"Haha! my son! You never stop to amaze me"_ Said Sharaman between laughs. Then he continued. _"Alright then, you two should get going. If you want you can join us tonight, we are not only going to celebrate your homecoming but this new alliance you have formed as well!"._ Both the Prince and the empress smiled and nodded. Thus they headed to their room to prepare themselves for the great dinner.

Once they entered the room both were marveled by the immense beauty it had. White walls, shiny floor, a balcony that provided a wonderful view of the realm, a great and luxurious bed with velvet silk covers, an equally luxurious bathroom and (of course) a fountain. All definitively worthy of an empress and a Prince. _"Now I see why you like this place so much...I need to take a bath"_ Said the creamy skinned woman as she slowly and sensually began to take off her garments. It wasn't that she was doing that on purpose, it was just in her nature to act that way and the Prince couldn't lie to himself nor he wanted to. He loved that attitude of hers, the way she acted, the way she was. Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice but Kaileena was already in her bare state. Soon after he snapped out of it, he found himself once more hypnotized by flawlessness her godly body presented.

 _"I love when you stare at me like that. Since we first met you've been doing so, Prince"_ The green eyed beauty then walked towards him and without hesitation they joined lips once again. Passion was increasing within every second, passion and, why not, lust as well. _"I think the bath can wait"_ Spoke Kaileena. _"And so can the celebration"_ Added the Prince. With nothing more to say both went to bed a little bit earlier.

 _ **So how was it? Hope you like it :) and I now, I now I arrived a little late to the party but I recently replayed this marvel of a game and couldn't resist to "re-write" the story. I didn't felt like checking the spelling/grammar. My bad. Well, I'll see you guys on the next chapter!.**_


	2. The Warrior awakens

_**LETS BEGIN. ROUND TWO.**_

 _ **"I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE ELEMENTS USED IN THIS STORY AND I DO NOT GAIN ANY PROFIT FROM THIS!".**_

 **Some time later that night...**

"Oh my! That was awesome" Said the empress hugging her lover.

"Sure it was...you are so perfect" Answered the satisfied Prince.

 _ **"It was somewhat brief though. Don't you think".**_

 _"Huh? Who's there!"_ Yelled the startled man who almost jumped out of the bed. _"What is it?!"_ Said an alarmed Kaileena. The room soon was invaded by an awkward silence _"Must've been my imagination. I would swear that I heard someone...nevermind, where were we?"_ He quickly regained his smile and commenced to make out with her lover yet again. The night was going to be long or at least he thought so.

 _"Mmmh! It seems you still have plenty of energy to, Prince"_ She laughed.

 _"Lets just say I rather celebrate this homecoming in private..."_ He was about to continue but once again he hesitated.

 _ **"Seriously, again? I grow tired of this. Too much love. The lust is okay though, I sincerely cannot blame you".**_

 _"THERE! Please don't tell me you haven't heard him!"_ Screamed the Prince this time with panic in his voice. He hated being spied and he hated even more being spied when he was in a private moment. _"Stop it! You are scaring me! Look you must be exhausted by all you've been through, all those nights without having a proper rest have damaged your health. You now need to sleep."_ Said Kaileena with a motherly tone which seemed to calm the poor prince almost instantly. She actually had a point there. Thus both fell asleep. The empress slept like a baby while her companion seemed to have a nightmare which haunted his dreams the whole night.

 _"What the?!"_ Exclaimed the Prince loudly as he fell to the floor, taking a couple of pillows with him. _"K-Kaileena. You don't know the sickness of the nightmare I just had, it was-"_ He suddenly stopped when he realized he was alone. The position of the sun suggested that it was early in the morning. _"Kaileena?...she must be having breakfast by now and...wait, am I talking alone?"._

 _ **"At last! We have some privacy. Women only slow things down. But you already know this at this point, don't you Prince".**_

 _"No...no, no, no! Was it something I drank last night?"_ Spoke the Prince as he headed towards the bath and washed his face with cold water. He spent the next minutes staring at the distortion of his reflection the water offered. _"(That's right, your mind is playing games. Too much things happening, to little time)"_ Suddenly he felt like he was about to sneeze. And he did.

 _"A-A-ACHOO!..."._

 _ **"Bless you".**_

 _"Thanks...WAIT! WHAT!"_ Screamed the Prince as he lost his balance. He almost fell to the floor but luckily a curtain was within his reach, thus he was now back on his foot. _"Okay, No more games. Who the hell is there?! Have I gone crazy?"_

 _ **"Well, I cannot tell that for sure. But I suppose that after spending several wild nights with the empress anyone would had gone crazy. As for your first question, well, I am YOU"**_

 _"What does that mean? You are me?"_ Asked the concerned Prince and that mysterious yet charismatic voice replied instantly.

 _ **"Lets just say that I represen-no, more properly, I am the stronger self you have within, the warrior spirit that rest deep inside you and that has now awaken"**_

 _"Okay okay and what do you want?"_ He asked once again.

 _ **"What do I want? Well, I'm only here to guide you, to guide you to the glory you deserve".**_

Suddenly a familiar voice appeared as someone knocked the door. _"Sorry to bother you, my Prince. I have something for you. Oh, also I have a message from your special guest"._ After hearing this the Prince quickly put on his clothes and opened up the door. The sight of Dardan relieved him, it felt good to speak to another person aside from his 'other' self.

A rather big bag he was carrying quickly caught his attention. Before he could even formulate the question the young man took the word. _"You forgot your swords back in your ship yesterday so I thought the best thing to do was to retrieve it to you. Sorry for the waiting. Here you are"_ Said Dardan as he handed the bag to his Prince, this last one opened it immediately only to discover four swords. Two of them were Kaileena's majestic twin blades, the other pair were the water sword and the scorpion blade. _"(How could I carelessly left this back there?)"._

 _ **"I can't believe you forgot about them so easily. Whatever, that doesn't surprise me at all since you already saved your mademoiselle in trouble...MY HERO!"**_

 _"Enough!"_ Screamed the Prince in a fit of rage. The young General looked at him puzzled. _"I mean, enough of being so clumsy!"_ He corrected or more likely he lied. Dardan simply nodded and proceeded _"By the way, your...special guest left you a message. She said that she was going to meet with you at the gardens for breakfast"_. As soon as the Prince knew were Kaileena was he left the bag in a corner, thanked Dardan and headed to the gardens.

In no time he reached his destination. _"These gardens are immense, fortunately for me spotting Kaileena wont be a problem whatsoever"_ He thought out loudly.

 _ **"Let me guess. That's because of two big and round reasons"**_

He flushed. In part he was right, he couldn't lie to himself although the first reason that came to his mind was actually the simple fact that strangely there was nobody around. He kept looking for her for a couple of minutes until he finally found her. She was sitting near a small table which had plenty of food in spite of its poor proportions.

 _"What took you so long Prince? You more than anyone should know that it is not polite to keep a lady waiting, let alone an empress"_ Said the empress a little upset but still keeping a tiny smile. Her lover smiled back and joined her. _"The beauty of this place reminds me of that the gardens of my island had"_ Sadness could easily be detected within her voice. Such was the case that the Prince decided to cheer her up a little bit. He held her hand gently, feeling the intoxicating warmth of her body. _"This garden is not the only beautiful thing around..."_ Said the Prince as he narrowed the distance between their lips, both closed their eyes and prepared themselves for the first kiss of the day, however...

 _ **"Come on! You'll never get a medal with a line like that! Sooo corny"**_

 _"SHHHHH!"._

 _"What is it this time? Another invisible friend of yours?"_ Asked the empress skeptically. _"Seriously! is there something wrong?! I don't know what kind of sick jokes you like to play but I am certainly not in the mood for that kind of things and you should know that!"_ Then she furiously left, leaving the poor Prince alone once again. _"Kaileena no!...crap..."_ Cursed the man.

 _ **"Women..."**_

 _"You son of a bitch! Stop doing that! I thought you wanted to guide me but no, all you do is placing myself in awkward situations. Not to mention Kaileen-"_ In that precise moment he realized that he didn't want to lose her again, it didn't matter if it was the fault of a sword or a simple discussion. Thus he rushed back into the palace, searching for her lady.

 _"(But where the hell is everybody?)"_ The Prince thought as he sprinted through the deserted corridors of the palace. The sound of his footsteps was gradually making he feel quite uneasy, however, getting nervous was the least of his worries, as he was about to find out.

 _ **"Is this necessary?".**_

 _"Yes!"_ He answered.

 _ **"Are you sure?".**_

 _"YES!"_ Yelled the man as he reached the stairs. _"(She must be at the room-...no)"_ His thoughts were once againobscured by the crudescene he saw and was about to partake in when he reached the top of the stairs. Five guards, all of them appeared to had been crushed by someone whose rage and monstrous strength was gigantic. Despite the horrible scenario one of the guards was barely alive but, for how long? The Prince rapidly tried to aid him. But it was not use, his wounds were so brutal that it actually hurt him to watch. _"You! Can you still hear me?! Who did this?!"._

The guard coughed up blood and forced himself to answer despite the immense pain he was experiencing. _"I am...so-sorry...my Prince...w-we couldn't stop t-that...thing...please you must be careful...he...IT was looking for you and that lady who came with you...he also said that the great...Zurvan has come to reclaim his p-powe..."_ Before he could finish his sentence his pupils faded and his suffering finally came to an end.

 _"Zurvan?...Your death will be avenged. I promise!"_ After those last words the Prince's mind was filled with hate, rage and desperation. Much like when he was at the Island of Time, his hands demanded a sword.

 _"(Kaileena...)"_ Was the only rational thought he had as he sprinted to his room.

 _ **HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE READ!.**_


	3. Confrontation! ghosts from the past

_**DISCLAIMER: ALL THE ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THIS STORY BELONG TO UBISOFT AND I DO NOT GET ANY PROFIT FROM THIS!**_

 _ **"CONFRONTATION! GHOSTS OF THE PAST"**_

 _ **"Well well well...at last! something worthy of our attention!"**_

 _"I just hope Kaileena is safe!"_ Replied the agitated Prince as he sprinted across the large hallways of the palace.

 _ **"You more than anyone should know by now that she can take care of herself! Stop being so fatherly, you are making me sick".**_

 _"...You should know by know; you, more than anyone, should know by know; you should know...if I were given a piece of gold everytime someone tells me so I would probably..."_ The man speech was interrupted when he realized he had reached the room. With great determination he kicked the large door opening it immediately. His face soon reflected even more hatred when he saw the man responsible for the slaughter of those men. A tall muscular man with spiked armor, a horned helmet and a great and sharp axe stained with blood. The only question that roamed all of the corners of his turbulent mind was likely the first thing that came out of his mind. _"YOU! Where is her?!"._

The slayer glanced at him and with a smirk underneath his helmet he responded. _"So you are the Prince of Persia, huh? Do you really want to know?...she's been taken to the coliseum. But don't worry, we are going to take good care of her!"_ As soon as he ended that sentence he rose his axe and violently approached to the Prince with obvious intentions. He quickly dodged the attack since it was quite predictable. As soon as he recovered himself he had to crouch to avoid another strike and then again and again. _"(This guy doesn't use his head. I can see all of his moves)"_ Though the Prince as he back flipped out of his attacker's reach.

 _ **"You know, Prince. Jumping and dodging isn't going to kill him...why don't you try to, I don't know, HIT HIM?!".**_

 _"You are right! The swords!"._ Then with an outstanding acrobatic maneuver he jumped above his opponent and reached the corner where the bag with the swords was lying. Thus he opened and, in a matter of seconds, he was in his fight stance.

 _"So you had an ace under your sleeve, eh? You look like a worthy opponent. It should be a good fight"_ The horned warrior didn't hesitate for a second when he attacked yet again, however, the result wasn't going to be the Prince jumping around like before. No, he instantly countered his move and returned the attack with full momentum. The water sword landed furiously in his chest, crushing the metal armor like if this was made of rotten wood. It was a deep slash, it didn't took long for the blood to come out like a fountain. _"DAMN YOU! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! THIS ARMOR IS UNBREAKABLE, NO SWORD MAY PENETRATE IT! WHAT KIND OF DIVINE STEEL ARE YOU CARRYING?!"_ Yelled the warrior in anger. His mouth pouring a severe amount of blood.

 _ **"Time to wipe this pathetic being from this world, it is a shame we don't have time to make him suffer a little more".**_

 _"What's the point of telling you? You are about to die anyway. But, one thing I can tell you though, not many swords can be compared to mine"_ Said the Prince. Right after those words he embedded his sword into his opponent skull. Them, with a quick move, he rose the scorpion blade and chopped his head off. The beauty of that marbled floor was soon corrupted when a pool of warm blood came out of the warrior's headless body. _"That was for all the innocent men you killed"._

 _ **"Fantastic!".**_

 _"You sound pretty exited"_ He said with some concern within his voice.

 _ **"Of course, why wouldn't I be? It is time to set things straight, to punish those who dare to challenge us, to-".**_

 _"Right. I believe that we don't share the same feelings. But I think you are correct, we must punish whoever is responsible for this transgression!"_ Interrupted the Prince as he walked to the large window. The man opened his eyes widely when he realized the chaos that was unchained in his kingdom, fire, screams and the sound of swords clashing fiercely. _"B-but when did this happen?!"_ He yelled in despair. _"I-I must do something! He or she MUST pay for-"_ Suddenly, a mysterious yet painfully familiar interrupted him.

 _"Not so fast...Prince"._

The startled man turned around as fast as he could only to reveal the sight of an old man dressed in black/velvet clothes and holding a staff which was mystically emanating a tiny golden aura. It was the Vizier. _"You?! But how...?"_ Questioned the Prince as he drew and pointed the scorpion sword at the Vizier.

The old man glanced at the dead body of the horned warrior. _"As I thought you are strong. It seems that you alone handled one of my most powerful allies quite easily. It somehow excites me quite a bit...but it also disturbs me"._

 _ **"Wait, did he said 'alone'? That's kinda rude. Anyway, don't you see? By saving the empress you resurrected him. Remember? No sands of time, no hourglass, no dagger, no Far-".**_

 _"It doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I killed you once, I can do it again!"_ Said the Prince with a smirk which was loaded with a feeling that was alien to him, a mixture of hate, rage and the desire to end with that disgusting being. The Vizier looked at him puzzled for a couple of seconds.

 _"Mhh! Your stupidity_ _is beyond belief. As insolent and arrogant as the rumors say. Your face reflects the humongous size of your pride, young Prince. I must ask then, didn't your father taught you how to behave properly?...well, I assume that expecting something from that useless pile of old trash was not a wise decision from me"_ Spoke the old man with a mocking yet repugnant smile engraved in his wrinkled face.

 _"SILENCE!"_ The enraged man didn't think it twice and immediately charged at him. However, such amount of rage was clouding his mind, his judgment. Thus he stroke, his onslaught was filled with strength and recklessness but it lacked precision and proper technique. He had fell into the trap. Such was the case that his opponent easily dodged the attack and hit him in the abdomen very forcefully with the tip of the staff.

 _"So long...Prince of Persia"_ With nothing more to say and before the Prince could even react, the Vizier shot a powerful wave of energy directly his body, sending him flying through the window, leading him to a fatal fall. Or at least he thought so.

 _ **"This ain't over yet! Fight, Prince!".**_

 _ **HOW WAS IT? A LITTLE BRIEF PROBABLY? WHAT CAN I SAY? YOU GOT ME! THANKS FOR THE READ :)**_


	4. Captivity

_**DISCLAIMER: ALL THE ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THIS STORY BELONG TO UBISOFT, I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.**_

 _ **"CAPTIVITY"**_

Kaileena woke up and found herself immobilized and unable to see. The taste of blood and dirt was the only thing she could perceive until someone suddenly talked.

 _"I am sick of carrying this bitch! I thought that coliseum was closer"_ Complained a man with a hoarse voice.

 _"Hehe, you sound like a little brat. At least you can touch that beauty. That Prince is certainly a lucky bastard, he really won the big prize with this one"_ Responded a much more serene yet dominant voice.

 _"Ha! She is not so nice when you carry her around the whole damn city! But I must admit though, from all the myriad women we were told we could rape this one surely stands out...but wait, NO, we cannot enjoy her flesh because that old fart wants it for himself and-"_ The man who was carrying her was abruptly interrupted by the quiet one.

 _"You stupid fool! If you ever disrespect lord Zurvan again I'll personally cut your tongue and then force you to eat it...understood?"_ The casual and vulgar tone of the conversation turned into a serious and uncomfortable one. The other man nodded in fear.

The tension was such that they didn't noticed when a couple of horses appeared from behind them and hit the one carrying Kaileena, causing him to drop her to the ground. She didn't waste the opportunity and, in a matter of seconds, untied the ropes that were strangling her delicate wrists. With that out of the way she got rid of those dirty cloths which prevented her to see and talk. She was now free.

 _"Look out she freed herself!"_ Said the quiet one, who the empress was now able to see. He was a tall man, with a lot of muscle mass, his face was covered by a silver helmet. Perhaps the most disturbing of his features was the ridiculous size his sword had. _"What are you waiting for?! Get her!"._

 _"This puny slut wont mean any problem to...WHAT THE?!"_ The other soldier was about to finish his speech but the sight of Kaileena vanishing in a golden cloud of sand made his jaw fall. He didn't have much time to react because within a fraction of a second later she reappeared in front of him and, while flying, she spin kicked the soldier into a construction that was nearby, provoking it to collapse on him, killing the poor bastard almost immediately.

 _"So you are not an ordinary woman after all...I can see now why our lord wanted you so badly. However, after seeing what you are capable of, I can't promise to take you to the coliseum. If you do not cooperate, you shall perish by my blade. With nothing more to say, I want to know your decision!"_ Said the warrior.

 _"Don't waste your breath. I can tell by your words that you are not aware of the magnitude of the mistake you are making by challenging me"_ With that said, the empress teleported herself to where the sword of the other soldier was and picked it up. It wasn't anything near perfection, but it was acceptable. Her tiny sword looked even smaller in comparison to her opponent's monstrous piece of steel. Thus she took the initiative and charged to the warrior. He blocked an attack, then another and yet another. He seemed to have the upper hand, his defense was flawless so far, it was time to change the strategy. And so she did. The empress teleported herself right behind him and fiercely stroke his naked back causing him to groan in pain.

 _"Uhhrg! That's right! You are not that bad...for a woman..."_ As soon as those words came out of his mouth she teleported once again in an attempt to slash his throat but, surprisingly, he parried the attack quite easily. Hell, it was almost like if he had predicted the exact path, momentum and angle her blade was going to had. _"Now this, every technique I see once wont work on me again"_ He then shoved her and attacked immediately, leaving Kaileena little time to block properly. The impact crushed her blade. _"Looks like you already ran out of options. Struggle all you want but the outcome will be the same, you hear me?!"_ Spoke the man who already proclaimed himself to be the victor.

 _"Don't make me laugh! I already discovered your weak spot"_ Answered the empress.

 _"My weak spot? Haha! And that weakness of mine is...?" ._

 _"excess of confidence!"_ Kaileena teleported yet again and, with a devastating kick, she dented his helmet and violently sent him to the ground.

 _"I-Impressive!"_ Said the warrior while spitting out pieces of teeth and some blood. _"Haha! Whoever you are! You are indeed worth defeating!"._ He then stood up and realized how strong her attack actually was as he could barely maintain his balance. His surprise became even more evident when he found himself facing a golden blast of energy which hit him directly, reducing him to pieces. The fight was over.

 _"It seems I underestimated both the empress and the Prince"_ Said a voice behind her. Kaileena could feel a negative aura.

 _"Who are you? Where is the Prince?"_ Questioned the empress without turning around.

 _"Who I am? I am the next and true god of this era! It is a shame that you wont live enough to worship me. You will share the same fate as your beloved Prince"._

 _"What?! What the!..."_ She was about to turn around and face him but then everything faded to black.

 _ **CHAPTER FOUR ALREADY? HAHA LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS!**_


	5. Rebirth

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THIS STORY.**_

 _ **FINALLY! SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, I HAVE BEEN BUSY LATELY. WELL, WITH NOTHING MORE TO SAY, LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS!.**_

 _ **REBIRTH**_

 _ **"Wake up, Prince...wake up...wake up NOW".**_

 _"What?!...Where are we?"_ Said a downcast Prince as he regained consciousness. He had somehow reached the shores of a small river. The need to hydrate himself struck his mind like a lighting, his dry throat demanded liquid immediately.

 _ **"Don't you remember? You got here, on your own. No one else, just you".**_

He slowly crept towards that precious source of water and without thinking it twice he dipped his whole head. Several sips later, the need to breath made his face to meet the hotness of the Babylonian air once again. The hostility within the environment was so evident that it could be smelt. _"I...can't remember a thing. What do you mean? I thought I was done for"_.

 _ **"Well, in a manner of speaking, you were. But something from deep within you awoke, something...exceptional and long story short you are here".**_

 _"Something exceptional? May I ask wha- Urg!"_ He attempted to regain his composure but a burning sensation in his chest sent him back to the ground. He then realized that the core of his armor was gone, he had an alarmingly large burn instead.

 _ **"Easy now. Try again, slowly".**_

After two incredibly painful and eternal minutes he finally managed to stand up. _"We must get to the coliseum. Luckily the Vizier thinks that I'm dead, at least nobody will be looking for me"_.

Suddenly a group of five guards appeared out of nowhere and they weren't precisely the friendly type. _"The Prince! He is alive!"_ Yelled one of them as he pulled out his sword. Quickly all of them followed and approached.

 _ **"You were saying?".**_

 _"My swords! They are gone!"_ Exclaimed the Prince.

 _ **"Why I get the feeling I heard that before?".**_

He had to think in something, fast. Despite the immense pain that it entailed, he managed to jump over the guards. It didn't take much time for the Prince to notice that he was once again trapped in the same vicious circle, he dodged the attacks and, consequently, they attacked again.

 _ **"Patience is the key. Remember, Prince, you are smarter".**_

An oversight from one of the guards was all he needed, he just had to wait for the opportunity to present itself...and eventually it came in the form of an attack whose momentum lacked the precision and power which were essential when killing was concerned. Rather easily and without any complications he jumped over his attacker and flawlessly disarmed him. Once he seized his sword, he immediately cut his head off.

 _ **"Beautiful".**_

 _"NEXT?!"_ Defied the Prince as he turned to the remaining hostiles, well, they didn't look so hostile after that exquisite demonstration of skill. They were terrified.

 _ **"This is it! Make em' suffer!".**_

 _"Nothing but death lies before you!"_ A familiar yet uncomfortable sensation invaded his whole being, this feeling, this torture was the necessity of killing. It didn't take long for the Prince to get carried away. Thus he took the initiative and sprinted towards his enemies, unleashing a furious storm of slashes upon them, severing heads, cutting throats and amputating limbs in the process. In the end, all that was left were unrecognizable fragments of flesh. The whole scene was simply disturbing.

 _ **"Such fun! Did you see the look on their eyes? They surely weren't expecting...what? What is it? You don't seem to be satisfied".**_

 _"That's because I am not, I didn't felt like myself, it was as if someone else controlled my body, my mind. First I was myself, then...something else...and it felt..."_ The Prince wanted to go on but his tongue didn't follow, then he realized that it wasn't his tongue, it was his mind that hesitated. He was afraid to face the reality.

 _ **"Fantastic, perhaps?".**_

 _"YOU ARE DEAD, PRINCE!"_ Cried a silhouette from afar. The Prince's eyes quickly began to search for the source of that threat and he did find it. A guard on the roofs had been watching the slaughter. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

 _ **"Call me crazy but that's probably not a good sign".**_

 _"Just my luck! So much for being a ghost"._

 _ **"Let's keep going".**_

Thus, the Prince disappeared into those narrow and quiet streets that conformed almost all of Babylon's poor district. Abandoned houses, dead animals, the lack of signs of life and several stains of blood on the walls gave him a cold and miserable welcome. As he walked through, corpses of some unfortunate men that were hanging could be seen, a cruel reminder of how those ruthless beings dealt with those who were determined to stand and fight. The crude smell of death ruled the whole place. Sadness was in the air too, it was overwhelming. The thought of what horrible things his people was being subjected to, the awful tortures that poor people were experiencing and...he didn't dared to just imagine the sick and deviant things they could be doing in that precise moment to Kaileena. _"(NO)"_. Suddenly he found himself unable to control his respiration, every step he made supposed even more difficulties. The air was dense, the heat was increasing.

 _"I must to get out of here!"_ He babbled and ran his way up to the terraces of those precarious houses as fast as he could. He could take it anymore, the guilt, his nerves were killing him.

 _ **"May I ask what just happened?".**_

 _"I-I just don't like closed spaces"_ Said the Prince, trying to shield himself.

 _ **"I'll just take a will guess...you are afraid of what could be happening to your people, your throne! And you cannot feel nothing but guilt and impotence".**_

 _"HOW DID YOU?"._

 _ **"I already told you, but repeating it doesn't bother me whatsoever. I am you and the faster you accept it, the better...anyway, back to the guilt issue. You shouldn't let the current state of your people cloud your mind, you are going to help them later! You are going to kill the Vizier, who is responsible for all the pain and suffering they are passing through".**_

 _"I suppose that is correct. Anyway, I can see the coliseum from here. It shouldn't take us long to get there if we move by high ground"_ Thus the Prince continued with his journey, hoping to get in time to his destination.

 _ **I RECKON IT TOOK ME TOO MUCH TIME TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER. SLOW BUT CERTAIN.**_


	6. The will of the Princess

_**IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I LAST UPLOADED SO HERE IT IS...THE NEXT CHAPTER.**_

 **"PRINCESS WILL"**

The sun was punishing her tanned skin, stealing every single drop of water from her slender body. Exhaustive effort she was doing in order to reach that long awaited moment, the moment in which she could finally bury an arrow which had that name deep inside the rotten excuse for a heart her ex-Vizier had. However, she seemed to had reached her limit this time, her muscles were at the verge of collapsing, her wounds appeared to had gotten bigger. Her tongue was dry, her throat demanded water but her soul just wanted blood.

 _"(Come on! I am not done yet...the Vizier must be punished for all the sins he had committed! I can't just give up now. No, no after all my people and I have been through! Just a little more...just some more...)"_ She thought to herself as she faced endless stairs, her last obstacle, the last barrier that prevented her to finally reach the place where her last victim was. She didn't have much strength to spare but if willpower was concerned, it was a totally different story. Each step felt like a torture for her already fatigued feet, the more she progressed, the more the stair's length seemed to increase. At this point she could barely move properly, let alone defend herself so why did she even bothered to try? She knew she haven't had much possibilities against such a powerful and deceiving foe but for the massacre of her kingdom she was killing machine, which didn't mind losing its life while performing its job.

Lost in her thoughts, she tripped and roughly fell to the ground, provoking even more lacerations in her arms and legs. She twitched in pain while trying to repress the urgent need of crying she just had. In the end, her efforts were fruitless, salty tears travelled across her dirty face. _"(Father...mother...I'm sorry...I am just too weak! I couldn't help to protect my own people...I failed as princess...I couldn't protect my father, my own blood...I have failed as a daughter...NO! I cannot let him to get away with it! If I don't...who will? GET UP! THE FATE OF A KINGDOM DEPENDS ON YOU...)"_.

Groaning and almost screaming in pain, she could manage to get back on her feet once again. It was the fifth time she had fell, the fifth time her once soft skin had met the dusty and hard ground. She was not sure if that was going to be the last time she could get up for she had a feeling that the next time her body met the floor, she was not going to be able to get up. The next blow her body would take would probably send her to the grave. Well, a grave was perhaps too generous.

Thus she continued with her task. Trying to catch her breath and to ignore all of the bruises and cuts her body had, specially her legs. Large distances running, heads being kicked, dreadful blows right to her knees and the lack of proper bandages didn't help her much. Another important fact to take into account was the lack of a decent meal, in fact, she couldn't remember when was the last time she had sat down, at a dinning room, facing what she would had gave for granted some time ago. Everytime her mind was not set on her glorious revenge, her current starvation state stroked. _"(The things I would do for a cup of rise...or at least some fruit...damn if I keep letting my weaknesses take control of my thoughts I wont even give them a chance of killing me! My drool will end up drowning me)"_.

Her once majestic armor was now a mere shadow of what it was supposed to be. Ragged cloths, bloodstains here and there and on top of all, she hadn't had a bath in days so her characteristic strawberry scent was now something else. The distinctive aroma of death surrounded her like an aura.

 _"(So much for having meeting with the Babylonian royalty...come to think of it, I once heard stories about how benevolent king Sharaman was...and how his powerful army led by his son had no match in the battlefield. I guess I can't trust in rumors anymore...I wish I had the chance to meet at least one of the members of the royal family. But that is too much to ask)"_.

She repeatedly had to think about the magnificence of her revenge in an effort to forget about her pains, at least for a brief moment. The image of her, stomping the severed head of the vizier with one hand and saluting the people she was going to freed from his tyrannical control. That was the ideal, the perfect and only way she could imagine to bask in glory. Of course all that madness and sickness was greatly harming her soul, all those deaths she witnessed, all those innocent lives she could not protect, children, women and elder people. All crushed by that ruthless fiend. The once elegant, delicate and innocent princess was gone and was not going to come back anytime soon for that person was no more...she had turned into a mere shell, corrupted by all those situations and events she referred to as 'unfair'. But deep within herself she knew that there was no way she could've predict nor prevent that massacre from happening. It was as if it was written on the timeline. No irate god, no capricious joke made by the destiny, no one was pulling the strings from behind the scenes! No more excuses! What happened was unavoidable and nothing could stop it.

 _"(I am a princess! The last member of the royal Indian family...at the margins of death itself! I'll do whatever it takes. If my fate reflects an imminent expiry in the form of a sharp blade...I promise I WILL drag you with me...TO HELL!)"_ Her spirit was once again burning, pushing her mind and body beyond the limit. Death was nothing but a mere stone in her way, needles to say she was not afraid of dying anymore. As a matter of fact, she was somehow eager to see what was waiting for her on the other side, was she going to be allowed to see her family one last time? Begging for forgiveness after letting them die? Or perhaps there was nothing, only darkness and cold...the time had come, she was ready to find out.

 _"(Come on! Keep it together! You are a princess so act like such! Embrace whatever you are destined to...Farah...)"_ She said to herself before reaching the giant gate which led to the coliseum.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 _ **DIDN'T FEEL LIKE CHECKING GRAMMAR. SORRY ABOUT THAT :/**_


	7. Journey to the coliseum

_**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ELEMENTS PRESENT WITHIN THIS STORY.**_

 _ **"JOURNEY TO THE COLISEUM"**_

 _"I can't stand it! the thought of Kaileena being horribly tortured right now! All this madness, all this suffering and bloodshed...father, I am sorry...wherever you are"_

 _ **"Blah, blah, blah... I can't believe what I am hearing. Look, saving your kingdom comes with war, war comes with pain and suffering, finally both pain and suffering become pride and satisfaction once you manage to fulfill your need for justice".**_

 _"If you expect that to make me feel better you had another thing coming. I can't just give up my humanity"_ Said the Prince as he jumped to a nearby roof, moving as fast as his stamina allowed him. He couldn't lie to himself nor he couldn't deny it, the advice his inner voice was giving him seemed to be the easiest way to fix all of the problems he was currently facing.

 _ **"Oh come on! I want to know what happened to the Prince I knew once, that brave and fearless warrior who cared nothing about spilling some blood for a greater good! Right now your mind and body are being tested. Don't let up your fears consume you, Prince. You must embrace you fate and fight to reclaim what it's rightfully yours!"**_

The Prince rose an eyebrow and with a sarcastic tone answered _"So are you saying that I must go back to that puny state I was back then? Driven by fear and anxiety? Used to dreadful nightmares which didn't seem to get to an end? I have to become a selfish being, a living failure again?! That sounds just lovely, you know?"._

 _ **"Okay...lets see...you think that you can't go back to where you started? You are there already. Stop and think straight for a moment, Prince. You are rushing towards the coliseum in order to "rescue" Kaileena but what you do not want to accept is why you want to do that so badly...she is just the reflection of your goal, the reminder of your mission. Once you have rescued her, you would likely be stepping on top of the dead and mutilated body of the Vizier...you are just using her as an excuse...".**_

 _"What? First and foremost, I love Kaileena, second, I know perfectly what my goals are and last but not least, I don't hide behind excuses and if you are really part of me you should perfectly acknowledge that!"_ Spoke the man as his voice's aggressiveness was gradually increasing. The turbulent state of his mind was being reflected within his moves, whose speed was rising violently. He just wanted to get to the coliseum and settle things straight once and for all, this was his home, his kingdom and It was within his duty to protect it.

 _ **"*sigh* Do I have to remind you the cruel reality of things again? Fine, lets talk about the so called 'love of your life'. Firstly, she wanted to kill you at the sea...secondly, she wanted to kill you AGAIN at the island and, last but not least, she tried to kill you yet again when you tried to explain her there was another way. Your motives are not disinterested, Prince".**_

 _"We shall continue this debate another time. You see, we are almost there and I am not particularly sure if I want to discuss this sort of issues while dodging ridiculously big and sharp pieces of steel...so I hope you don't mind shutting your mouth unless you have something important to say"_

 _ **"...Believe what you will, I'm just saying you shouldn't let your impulses control your life, let alone other person's...".**_

 _"So, in a nutshell, you are just jealous of the attention I am giving her"_

 _ **"Jealous...strange word, isn't it? People often ignore the fact that usually those who claim that other persons are jealous of them are really jealous beings themselves".**_

 _"Pardon me, I don't know what kind of game you are playing with my thoughts but I got work to do. So excuse me! Hmm?!"_ The Prince didn't realized before but there were a group of 3 hostiles just below him. Luckily for him, they hadn't notice his presence despite the heated argument he was having with his inner self. He quickly tried to heard the conversation the best he could.

 _"As I said, the place was deserted. No sign of civilians, at least living ones"_ Empathized one of the grunts while fruitlessly trying to get rid of the bloodstains his sword had.

One of his partners muttered something, probably cursing, then he took the word. _"It is said that the Prince hasn't left the world of the living yet. As a matter of fact, one of our extermination team was sent to the river and never came back...wouldn't be shocked to find out that he's still alive, roaming the streets...wanna know who told me that?"_ The other two nodded immediately. _"Well, it was none other than the one they call The Bronze slasher..."._

Surprised, both grunts almost jumped backwards after they heard that name. The most skeptic one replied, trying to look calm. _"You are lying! It cannot be, are you telling me that you managed to speak with that legend? You are nothing but a low class soldier. Nobody with the exception of Lord Zurvan and his elite is worthy of his presence"_.

 _"I'm telling you, this bronze clad knight came riding a majestic horse and told me and my regiment to be aware of the resurrected menace the Prince of Persia is"._

 _ **"Hmmm So there is yet another soul which needs to be sent back to hell... A bronze knight, huh? Sounds promising, don't you think?".**_

 _"I couldn't care less about it... However, I can't help but to feel stupid for letting them to know I am still alive. In fact, now that I've came back to life things will be even more tough"_ He said, not caring to hide the gloominess of his thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking that every step he took forward was followed by two backward ones, it was simply frustrating.

 _ **"I am just saying that having to deal with this bronze knight would provide even more progress to our noble cause, you couldn't agree more with me on this one, right?".**_

 _"And that so called noble cause would be...?" Inquired the man, who already knew what kind of reply his sassy inner voice was going to give him._

 _ **"Put an end to the source of all our pains and sufferings and regain control over this magnificent, glorious and powerful land... Don't you see my point, Prince? As long as we kept avoiding the what truly needs to be done in order to progress properly we won't be able to be standing victorious on top of all our headless enemies by the end of this day!".**_

 _"You seem to enjoy slaughtering people a lot, don't you? Nevertheless, I agree with you to a certain point. Alright, I wish all of problems would be fixed with just talking to an inner voice but, sadly, that is not the case so lets get moving"_ Answered the Prince as he jumped from terrace to terrace.

 _ **PHEW! AT LAST I MANAGE TO PULL THROUGH THIS ONE. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!**_


	8. The General

_**"THE GENERAL"**_

The young man left his bag on the floor for a moment and walked across the room, which was filled with dead bodies and blood puddles. Almost like if he was ignoring the bloody and ruthless carnage which surrounded him, he continued walking towards the only Royal guard who was still breathing and tightly embracing the corpse of another man. As soon as he got closer to him he quickly recognized his armor and a shine of hope was then reflected on his bruised face.

 _"I cannot believe what my eyes are seeing!"_ Spoke the exhausted soldier as he fruitlessly tried to regain his composure, he had an incredibly deep cut on his chest, it was a miracle he was still conscious. _"General Dardan! You are alive after all! I...we all thought you were no longer among us..."._

Dardan smiled bitterly before replying to his fellow warrior. _"Takes more than a bunch of barbarians to kill me. Although I got to admit that I am also a little surprised to be standing here after that onslaught..."_ He said while his gaze exanimated the chaotic state which the room they were had. The unmistakable odor of death itself was everywhere, the once creamy colored walls were now stained with warm blood, but by far the most disturbing thing was the horrified expression which was engraved on all of the defeated men.

 _"My most sincere apology, my general. But I couldn't prevent this from happening, the men under my command...all those souls trusted me with the lives and yet I failed to them...I couldn't even protect my younger brother..."_ Spoke the downed man between sobs. He then tried to stand up once again but Dardan stopped him from doing so.

 _"Hey...don't push yourself. You have fought bravely for our kingdom, even if the outcome wasn't the one you wished the fact is that you, your men and your loved ones battled to protect their hopes and dreams...that is what truly matters"_ Said Dardan. The other man almost collapsed into tears after hearing such deep but simple words of wisdom.

 _"My...General T-thank y-you..."_ Was all he could manage to say before releasing one final breath and closing his eyes forever.

The young general remained silent for a minute before walking out of the house. _"(Only the strongest can remain on the table...) I cannot waist any more precious time, I must get to the coliseum"_ He said to himself. Then, he picked his bag back up again and continued with his task. The sight of slaughtered women and children quickly was engraving a mark within his heart, he was fully aware of the consequences of war but it was certainly impossible to ignore the raw nature it brought wherever it was present. Of course that spilling countless amounts of blood was necessary when such a carnage was concerned. Dardan knew that too well. _"(If you want it to stop raining blood, then prepare to spill some...)"_

All the madness, merciless killing and profanity he was experiencing was more than enough to make him reminisce why he decided to become stronger in the first place.

Twenty years ago he was nothing but a little boy, filled with hopes and joy. It was nightime already and he was waiting for his father to go back from fishing, he felt so hungry since his family was quite poor. Suddenly, his father arrived, running in panic. He approached to his son and told him to hide under the bed because "Some bad men were looking for him due to a misunderstood he had with them". Dardan did as his father say and hid, with his heart throbbing erratically as soon as his father left the room, slamming the door. Seconds became minutes and the only things he could hear were some mutters, it was all silent until the door finally opened and his father appeared but something was different. Dardan's father stumbled around the room, pouring blood all over the floor, before falling. Dardan's gaze was impaled into his dad's dead dead eyes. In that moment he didn't felt like he needed to cry or even shed a single tear...he didn't felt nothing except an impulse, something which forced him to realize how weak he and his father actually were. The man who once swore and sought to protect him was nothing but a lifeless pile of cold meat... It was easier to blame him for what had happened but the truth from deep within his heart told him that he was the one to be blamed...for being nothing but a weakling, an inconvenience. That was when he decided that he desperately needed to become stronger.

Immersed within the painful memories of his childhood he could barely hear what was surrounding him. Such was his surprise when he came across a small group of enemies, who were throwing severed limbs to a bonfire near them, he couldn't believe it himself. The indifference to human life those men had had no match, Houses burned to the ground, pregnant woman murdered, children executed like mere thieves... No, they don't have the right to do those kind of things. One of the soldier noticed his presence and approached to him while releasing a brief laugh.

 _"Look who's here! I knew that Persian gave up easily but what I didn't know was that they actually had the valor to accept death and turn themselves to the enemy!"_ Exclaimed the man as he rises his sword. _"Since you seem to understand that opposing to Lord Zurvan is futile, I am gonna put an end to your existence quickly so that you can join you fallen brothers immediately in hell! You should be pleased becau..."_.

Dardan suddenly interrupted his speech _"All these defenseless and innocent people...ruthlessly murdered by weak scum like you...you are not supposed to decide whether someone has the right to live or not, only the strongest can...and you are nothing but worthless WORMS!"._ Dardan didn't even bothered in leaving his bag on the ground this time. In an incredible demonstration of skill and speed he cut off both of the soldiers arms. With a single move, he severed his torso like if it was made of butter.

At the sight of this the remaining soldiers panicked and charged at him, all of them blinded by fear. The first one quickly met his doom when the general's steel pierced his heart with a clean thrust. The second one was not going to enjoy the luxury of a quick death, he instead lost both of his hands after one slash. Before he could even start to process what just happened Dardan cut his belly open, causing his intestines and organs to splat against the ground.

 _"Wha...WHAT ARE YOU?!"_ Cried the last warrior as his sword slipped from his sweaty hands. He found himself, rooted to the spot after seeing that his death was imminent.

 _"You...pick up your sword, now"_ Demanded the general as he slowly walked towards him. The horrified man was now also puzzled. _"I SAID PICK IT UP!"._

 _"Al-alright! I-I'll do it"_ After some incredibly tense and painfully awkward seconds he did as he said.

 _"Fine...Now, attack me. Do it as strong as you can"_ Commanded Dardan who was now in his fighting stance.

After some instants, the frightened man attacked in desperation, hoping his own demise to be short and painless. With barely any effort the general dodged the soldier's puny move and, with an almost unperceivable swing of his sword, he made him to encounter his ultimate fate.

 _"There is no use in taking the life of a terrified being who cannot even fight..."_ Thought out loud the young man while removing the blood from his sword with a cloth he found on the ground. He then continued with his quest.

 _ **WOW, I FINALLY MANAGED TO FINISH THIS ONE! HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY GRAMMAR / SPELLING MISTAKES.**_

 _ **DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT!**_


	9. Collision

**II All of the elements present within this story doesn't belong to me!**  
 **COLLISION**

The sun was hiding behind the hills, giving permission to the night to appear and cover the once vibrant city of Babylon with a veil of darkness. Kaileena's sad and calm gaze was focused on the arena's main gate, waiting for her beloved Prince to come and save her from all that chaos. She sighed as the last sun rays landed on her pale face. _"(Just where could you be, my Prince? You cannot be really dead... After all you have been through, after all those obstacles you have overcame... You once told me that the impossible was nothing but a simple obstacle and I am sure that it is impossible for you to not be among the living! Please... Even if my mind tell me to face an undeniable fact, my heart still remains loyal to you...)"_ thought the anguished empress as she was silently fighting to recover her strengths but she was tied to a large column at the centre of the arena. She tried to use her powers to freed herself but there was something about those mysterious ropes that seemed to absorb all of her vital energy.

 _"It is always a pleasure to have the rich opportunity of being so close to a member of the royalty... Empress Kaileena, please do not waste your last breaths or strengths figuring out how to escape. You see, I may not look like it but I am extremely meticulous, in addition to that I always have a second plan just in case the first one crashes and burns... Obviously today was one of those occasions"_ Said the Vizier, who seemed to had appeared out of nowhere by some kind of magic spell. After his speech he approached towards the captive empress and coldly caressed her soft cheeks with his rough hands. _"Today I am feeling merciful, as a matter of fact, I will tell you something that will probably cheer you up a little... However, you will not enjoy that happiness for too long... Your beloved Prince appears to be having trouble trying to remain dead..."._

Kaileena's green eyes opened widely and her face shined in hope when he heard those words. _"The Prince is alive?!"_ Her depressed gaze suddenly morphed into a vigorous one and connected with the Vizier's.

 _"Indeed, nevertheless I already took care of him. Nearly all of my men here in Babylon know about the Prince's current condition and most likely are searching for him in every corner of this city. So if I were you I'd probably abandon any hope of seeing him again"_ The Vizier's old and disgusting mouth formed a repugnant smirk.

 _"Lord Zurvan!"_ Called a female warrior, she was tall and slender, she was also wearing a purple armor and a helmet which covered almost the entirety of her face . _"My apologizes for taking so long! Behold, the dagger of time!"_ Exclaimed the woman proudly as she handed over the relic to her master.

 _"You have done well, Mahasti! Now we can carry on with the ritual. Once I am done, I will reward you as promised!"_ Said the Vizier between laughs of joy, his loyal servant bowed to him and smiled. The other guards who were present simply cheered and raised their weapons in satisfaction.

 _"The dagger of time...!"_ Kaileena's shock was enormous not only because they could manage to get a hold of the dagger but mostly due to the magnitude of the disaster in which she was. Millions of lives could be affected if such a powerful tool fell into the wrong hands. It was at this moment when the empress figured out what Zurvan's sick plan was. _"Stop! You cannot possibly begin to comprehend the menace the dagger represent! It wasn't meant for humans!"_ Yelled Kaileena, fruitlessly trying trying to awake some compassion inside the old man's rotten soul.

 _"NO! It is you the one who is not able to understand the proportion of the power I am about to gain!"_ Replied the Vizier, rising both hands. _"All those kingdoms, all those persons, those false beings whose lives just involve mere pleasures such as sex, money and food... All there is are lies...illusions of something which is perceived as good. All those fake images will be over once I gain the power which is rightfully mine! I will erase all these corrupt land and purify it from all its sins!"_. The man's euphoria was increasing more and more as his words were gaining more strength.

The empress gave him a serious look and, realizing that awaking any sort of awareness regarding his unspeakable acts was of no use. _"It is you who is living an illusion. What kind of order can emerge from such a chaotic environment? You will find nothing but pain..."._

 _"Whether you agree with my way of thinking or not doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all!"_ Suddenly the man raised the dagger of time and prepared himself to commence the long awaited ritual. _"I shall thank you! Without you all this wouldn't be possible! Now DIE AND FULFILL MY DREAM!"_.

 _"(So this is it... This is how it will end? My death will provoke thousands to disappear from this land. I should've known...)"_ Knowing that her demise was something imminent, Kaileena closed her eyes and waited for that cold and sharp steel to pierce her flesh. However, what made her open her eyes again was a painful scream from her captor. An arrow had pierced the Zurvan's right hand, making him drop the dagger.

 _"WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT THE CEREMONY! SHOW YOURSELF!"_ Screamed the old man as he painfully retired the arrow from his bloody hand. His face reflected the most pure rage his servants had ever seen.

 _"I doesn't matter how powerful you get or how many men you have at your disposal, you are not going anywhere but to hell..."_ Said a voice from the tribunes.

Kaileena's heart almost stopped when she heard that voice. Goosebumps travelled through her spine and tears came out of her eyes when her lover jumped to the arena. _"Prince! I knew you couldn't die!"_ Cried the empress.

 _"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kaileena"_ Apologized the Prince before jumping to the arena, not caring about any of the guards. He then drove his gaze to the Vizier. _"I am sorry things didn't work out the way you planned... Lord Zurvan. Your ambition ends here, you will play for all the sins you have committed!"._

 ** _"That's right, Prince... Let us make him suffer!"_.**

 _"You insolent bastard! You don't understand do you? The dagger came to me in my dreams! It told me how to achieve this magnificent, ultimate power! It wasn't meant for any other man but me! It is MY destiny!"_ Replied Zurvan. With a small gesture with his hands he commanded all the men present to surround the Prince.

 _ **"Yes, yes! This keeps getting better and better! We should show them how the king of blades moves, shall we?"**_.

 _"Works for me"_ Thus the Prince commenced with the carnage. He jumped onto one of the guards and with a quick slash he decapitated him, then he impaled another and moved towards the next one, with a quick maneuver, he managed to steal his sword and chopped his body in half. The ambidextrous warrior didn't waste any precious second and charged at the two remaining guards. After a quick yet incredibly fatal combo both men fell before him without even struggling. _"Is that the best you have to offer, old man? I promise you, you will not survive this time. I will return to your body every single blow you gave to my kingdom!"._

 _"Ha! Then... If you want to die so badly, it cannot be helped then. I will be your opponent... Prince of Persia"_ Mahasti said arrogantly as he left the Vizier's side and walked towards the Prince. She was carrying a rather large chain with shiny, incredibly sharp after, the woman began to swing the chain as if it were a whip. Immediately, the Prince was caught out of guard by the unpredictable nature of her moves. It became more evident when he made mistake and thus left himself defenseless for a second, enough time for her opponent to slash the very same spot where his scar was.

 _"AH! Not again! You bitch!"_ Yelled the injured man, the blood didn't wait and commenced to decorate his face with its distinctive color.

 ** _"Come on now. Use your head! Perhaps you cannot predict her movements but you are still able to see the amount of momentum she needs to perform each strike. Having a chain or a whip requires the user to increase the distance between him and the opponent everytime he decides to attack... Focus on her feet and she will fall..."._**

 _"YOU ARE MINE!"_ Screamed Mahasti as she prepared her next strike. However, the Prince could now notice the patron her moves had and, a little roughly, he began to evade her attacks. The distance between the two was gradually decreasing as her chain seemed to miss its target more and more frequently. Mahasti panicked when she saw the Prince dangerously close to her.

 ** _"Now!"._**

With a clean swing from his sword, he slashed the woman's torso and sent her flying. The cut wasn't as deep as it should have, that was due to the bad conditioning that sword in particular had since it actually broke after the attack.

 _"Quickly! Prince, get the dagger! It's right in front of me!"_ Yelled the empress in despair. The Vizier who was looking for the dagger somewhere else immediately rushed to the dagger but the Prince's acrobatic abilities gave him the upper hand. With one shot flip he managed to get the relic and regained control over the situation. The old man was rooted to the spot when the young warrior freed the captive empress.

 _"You really are hopeless... Betrayal and lust for power ain't going to take you anywhere far in this world... Now, the only cure for your stubbornness is a trip directly to hell!"_ Said the exhausted Prince between pants.

 _"Ha ha ha ha! It is YOU who doesn't have a clue of what is going on in this world! You are nothing but a small worm at the eyes of someone like me and you shall die as such!"_ As soon as the Vizier said that, more than a hundred men came from southern entrance of the coliseum. _"Just in time... Now, either you give me the dagger or face an horrible death"._

 ** _"Some battles are not meant to be fought all in the same day, Prince! Live today, fight tomorrow!"._**

 _"Prince, this way!"_ . Before the Prince could even process what his inner voice had said, Kaileena took the lead and grabbed his hand. Then both sprinted towards the northern entrance which was completely clear.

Once they reached the gates a soldier who was waiting in one of the corner jumped from behind them and raised his axe, ready to take one life. However, when death seemed unavoidable, an arrow directly to his eye made him fall lifeless to the floor.

 _"At least I didn't come by for nothing! Where is the Vizier?"_ Asked a female silhouette.

 _"Fa...rah...?! How did you-"_ The Prince couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Farah, the woman who meant everything and at the same time nothing whatsoever had once again crossed paths with him. That was when he realized how naive he actually was by messing with the timeline just for his own personal interests. Despite creating a conflict of enormous proportions he couldn't help himself but to feel a great relief from seeing Farah.

 ** _"Great! Just what we needed... Don't act like if you were actually surprised by this! I think I told you before, no sands, no dead Vizier and no memories with the princess"._**

 _"Prince, Ms. Kaileena!"_ Called a familiar voice from the distance and the trio turned around at the same time only to meet Dardan. Both Kaileena and the Prince were speechless at the sight of the young general for it was quite a coincidental appearance. Nevertheless, this reencounter feed even more the fire of hope inside them. "I think this belongs to you" Said the young man just before throwing the large bag he was carrying to the Prince.

 _"I don't believe this! The swords!"_ Exclaimed a surprised Prince as his eyes examined the interior of the bag. The empress's twin swords and the scorpion blade were inside. Without thinking it twice he threw away the old sword he was carrying and took his sword, Kaileena did the same.

 ** _"Now that is what I call a present!"._**

 _"Perfect... Now everything is going to be easier"_ Spoke the Prince.

 _"Prince I did my best but... I regret to tell you that one of the swords was lost during the attack at the palace"_ Dardan's face suddenly reflected gloominess.

 ** _"Perfect! The water sword! Just our luck..."._**

 _"Forgive me for interrupting, but I reckon that we should get moving because there are hundreds of men who want to kill us and... You know, unless you want to end being severed into pieces I suggest to get the hell out of here!"_ Said the princess.

Dardan quickly guided the group to a chariot which was conveniently hidden. _"Listen to me. You three take this chariot and head for the market district... I will meet you there"_ Commanded the general.

 _"And what about you, Dardan? We can't just leave you here!"_ Exclaimed Kaileena.

 _"The chariot can't carry more than three people... Besides you do not have to worry about me since I know every corner of this city"_ Replied the young man in confidence.

 _"But there is only one chariot, how are you supposed to meet with us?"_ Asked the Prince in concern.

 _"You don't need to worry about me, Prince... I have my ways... Now don't waste any more precious time and go!"_. The trio nodded, gave him a bittersweet smile and got in the chariot. With nothing more to say, the group set off to their destination.

 _ **"Are you sure you know how to control this thing? Getting caught by the Vizier's men is the least of my worries right now".**_

The group left the coliseum behind with nothing but insecurity about what fate had been saving for them. However, one thing was sure, with Kaileena and the dagger, luck seemed to be in their favor.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 **Finally I managed to finish this one! I will admit though, I wasn't too inspired this time. Anyway... Thanks for the read!.**


	10. REUNION

**_I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!_**

 ** _REUNION_**

 _"Are you absolutely certain that you can walk on your own, Farah? You seem to be needing some help"_ Asked the Prince as he jumped off the chariot. They had reached the market district.

 ** _"Really? Don't you think you are being way too dramatic? You have seen her in action, right? I personally cannot see why you tend to forget about other people's ability to sold their own problems"._**

 _"That is the fifth time you ask! I am not made of damn glass you know?!"_ Answered the wounded Princess. She was covered with bruises and small cuts but a rather large cut she had on her right leg was what worried the Prince the most. _"Oh and by the way, I would be pleased if you could tell me exactly how did you know who I was when we first met"_

 ** _"Come on, Prince. No need to be shy... Just do not say anything too farfetched, you hear me?"._**

 _"Oh...that...uh...I just heard rumors about a young, beautiful and fierce princess from India who was on a quest to punish a treacherous Vizier for all the destruction and pain he have unleashed over this land"._ Somehow the Prince managed to pull off that story before provoking more unnecessary questions.

 ** _"Well done! That wraps up that loose end. However, I was expecting more from you, you know. Why not adding some magic spells or ladies in distress"._**

The Princess glanced at him with nothing but suspicion within her gaze. There was no doubt about it, she wasn't planning to be fooled by such cheap tales but at that moment she decided to just ignore her uneasy partner and proceeded to examine the woman who she had saved. _"Forgive if my question makes you feel uncomfortable but are you some exotic dancer or just a woman from some brothel?"_.

 ** _"Mmmm I like where this is going"._**

 _"...PARDON ME?"_ Replied the empress whose eyes resembled two full moons. Just because of that question she was about to loose her temper and the Prince knew what she was capable of when the rage invaded her mind.

 _"Huh...Farah? I believe that you shouldn't keep talking"._ The poor Prince felt now frightened by the enraged expression Kaileena had engraved on her face. It had been a while since he last saw her that angry, the last time being when she tried to kill him...for the third time. In any case, Farah somehow didn't realize in that moment the dangerous situation in which she had stepped into.

 _"What I mean is that I have never thought I would see a prost- an escort perform so well in combat! I suppose that here in Babylon it's a normal thing but from where I am fro-"_ Farah suddenly stopped at the sight of an incredibly enraged Kaileena. _"Did I say something wrong? I didn't meant to be rude"._

 ** _"Wait for it..."._**

 _"That's enough! I am the empress of time! I will not allow you to keep being disrespectful! Now I shall teach you some manners!"_ With nothing more to say the empress rose her swords and charged at her but, luckily for the Princess, her steel never slashed her flesh, it clashed with the Prince's.

 _"Kaileena! That's enough! We mustn't fight between us!"_ The Prince intervened just in time, just a fraction of a second later and the Indian princess would have been no more.

 ** _"Party pooper... Just when things were starting to get interesting"._**

 _"B-but! How can you ignore such lack of manners towards m-"_ Kaileena's anger vanished completely when her eyes travelled to her lover's right arm. A rather painfully looking cut on his arm was the price the Prince had to pay in order to prevent her from killing the Princess. _"Prince, I am sorry... Let me see your wound"_ Said the empress in remorse as she stepped towards him.

 ** _"No thanks, she already has done enough"._**

 _"No, Kaileena. Just...let's get moving, for if we do not, the Viziers men will find us. The market district is just ahead, we should be able to find the hideout once we meet up with Dardan"_ Said the Prince as the empress regained her composure, Farah was still shocked by what just had happened.

Thus the group began to walk across the narrow passages, always remaining alert because of the permanent threat Zurvan's men represented. The rhythm their footsteps had immediately crushed with the deadly silence which dominated the place. There were several puddles and blood stains decorating that depressive environment which was surrounding them, the image of those deserted streets almost begged for someone or something to rush in and commence to destroy that lack of noises.

 _"So...maybe it is the time for you to start explaining who are you two?"_ Curiously inquired the princess. Both the Prince and the empress stopped walking, almost wondering themselves what kind of explanation could they give her. _"Well, since you are so reluctant about telling me the whole story then I shall jump to conclusions. First and foremost, I coincidentally came across the Prince of Persia, I presume? And an empress who also happens to be your...?"_ Farah couldn't help herself, the bizarre situation she was in had aroused her curiosity. An upset Kaileena quickly took the word.

 _"I am her future wife. Look Fahara, or whatever your name is, we have been through a rather painful and miserable day and both the Prince and I are not in the mood for any kind of naive questions so please understand and shut your mouth before someone else gets forced to do it for you"_. The tension between both women was increasing at an alarming rate, the Prince on the other hand was wondering why on earth he had to collide with his past once again.

 _"Pardon me? I don't think that waiting all day long for someone to come and rescue you from doing nothing whatsoever as a productive thing to do! You see, unlike you, I have been fighting, sweating and bleeding my way to the Vizier for three weeks now! I will not let you talk me down!"_ Angrily replied the Princess.

 ** _"You and I both know how bad you want to see some girl on girl action but, can I have a word with you?"._**

Those two weren't going to stop anytime soon and the Prince knew pretty well how hardheaded the women before him were. Thus he took advantage of them being too concentrated in their argument and moved a little away from the duo. _"Fine, let's talk but please be quick with your words"._

 ** _"As always. I cannot help but to feel like you are forgetting about your priorities, Prince. I know that now with the addition of the princess to the mix things in your head are a mess so, in my humble opinion, you should try being a little bit more assertive with both the empress AND the princess. Surely you can understand and see my point of view"._**

 _"Let me guess what those priorities might be... Oh! Of course, how can I be such a fool I couldn't realize that before? Kill the Vizier and ignore everyone else because because-"_ Answered the Prince sarcastically before being interrupted by his inner voice.

 ** _"Of course! That an undeniable fact! Hell, it seems that you suffer from a severe case of excessive hospitality. Perhaps an arrow to the knee or a sand tornado would be enough to refresh your memory, Prince. We are one and we base our convictions on the same principles, you know pretty damn well you have far more important matters to attend to. So please, do not try to change the course of your journey...because you can't"._**

Meanwhile, the empress and the princess couldn't help but to notice the odd picture that was before them despite their heated discussion. The Prince seemed to be arguing with a wall, shaking his hands and making strange gestures like if he were suffering from a severe mental illness. _"Just what in the world is he doing?"_ Asked Farah to herself as she raised an eyebrow.

Kaileena sighed deeply and rolled her eyes in stress before answering Farah's question the best she could. _"He is just talking to his imaginary friend"_.

 _"Shall I... Wack some sense into him? Truthfully, he is really starting to make me nervous"._ The puzzled Princess couldn't even try to understand what was happening.

 _"The feeling is mutual. If you are willing to help him to snap out of it, feel free to do it now"_ Replied the upset empress and without hesitating the princess punched him right his temple.

 _"Ouch! May I know why did you hit me all of a sudden?!"_ Angrily exclaimed the Prince while rubbing the bruise he had just gotten. Almost immediately he realized he had been talking to "himself" for way to much time. As soon as he regained his composure, the Prince tried to work out an excuse so that he could escape from that awkward situation without causing further damage to his already deteriorated image. _"I know what you are thinking b-but would you just let me explain?"_ The uneasy man said in nervousness.

 _"That is fine by me. Lets hear your explanation"_ Answered the Princess.

 _"It's just a habit! A bad habit which has been developed some years ago during a trip I made to Azad. I had a couple of misfortunes and almost caused the death of many... Well, I a way I did..."._

 ** _"Bravo! Bravo! I never dreamed you would be able to create such a convincing excuse, Prince... In case you didn't notice, I was being sarcastic"._**

 _"Come on now, do you actually think I will be naive enough to believe such cheap and pathetic story?"._ Farah took a deep breath, folded her arms and then continued. _"Right, there is something really fishy about you two, there is no doubt about it"._

 _"Fine, why wont we leave all these childish attitudes and get going? For if we do not we are going to have company in no time"_ Said the Prince just before sighing in exhaustion. Then Kaileena took the word.

 _"Couldn't agree more with you, my Prince. But we are at we were supposed to be yet there isn't any sing of Dardan or even life... What if we arrived late? Perhaps the Vizier already wiped out this area... What guarantee do we have?..."_ Spoke the empress with some pessimism reflected in her tired voice.

 _"Well, I'm not trying to be the cocky character in this picture but maybe I serve as a guarantee for you, my lady!"_ Called an energized voice from above, a voice which was not easy to forget whatsoever. The trio quickly raised their gazes only for their eyes to meet with a dark silhouette which was nearly impossible to identify due to the darkness of the young night. _"What's with that silence? Please don't tell me you have found a new guide!"._ Thus, the silhouette jumped down performing a flawless flip in mid air. The Prince's face suddenly shined in hope and relief when he could finally confirm who was that mysterious figure.

 ** _"Talk about taking a dramatic entrance to the next level"._**

 _"Dardan! How did you...?"_ Was all the man could manage to say before being 'politely' interrupted by the young general.

 _"I believe I told you before, Prince. I had my ways. Lets just say that I 'borrowed' a chariot from some headless grunts, I thought they wouldn't be needing it anymore so... long story short here I am"_ Said Dardan as he walked towards the trio while bearing a warm smile. _"Ms. Kaileena, Prince I am glad you made it here alive! Well nothing less from the Prince of Persia himself, her lady and... Uh...sorry if I am rude and ignorant but I don't think I caught your name Ms...?"._

Farah rolled her eyes and bitterly answered. _"I am Farah, the only daughter of the maharaja, the princess of India!... I hope you will not be asking me anymore explanations because, you see, I am really not in the mood right now"._

 _"You don't have to worry, your highness, I am really good recalling names...specially from charming and vibrant ladies just as yourself"_ Replied Dardan with a tone which could have been taken for a flirting one. Then his characteristic smile disappear from his face, putting aside that informal and cocky atmosphere and letting a much more serious chat appear. _"The city is at the verge of collapsing, Prince. Regardless of what or whom caused this whole invasion we cannot do anything besides to hide and plan a new counterattack... What beats me though, is what on earth does that old man want. Whatever it is it must be of humongous importance for him... You cannot command thousands of soldier to destroy a whole city such as Babylon just because... Something is missing..."_ Said Dardan while rubbing his chin.

 ** _"I think it's time for a nice and detailed explanation"._**

 _"I know why all this chaos was unleashed in Babylon, Dardan"_ Answered the Prince. Gloominess was being reflected in his face.

 _"You know?! Then perhaps we can sort this conflict!"._ Said the young man.

 _"I arrived to Babylon after years of being chased by an unstoppable creature... The Dahaka, guardian of time. Before loosing all hope, I discovered that I could change my fate if I travelled to where the sands of time were created and prevent their creation... After several conflicts I could finally feel the joy of being free. However, I didn't achieve my goal by preventing the sands from existing... The woman who arrived with me to this city is none other than the empress of time, Kaileena"._ The Prince looked over his shoulder only to meet his lover's strong gaze and then continued. _"By sparing Kaileena's life I somehow triggered this chain of events in which the Vizier managed to get a hold of the dagger of time and take over the Indian kingdom... I...I believe that the Vizier wants to use the dagger to absorb the power of the sands which lies within Kaileena"._

 _"Wait! Does that means that all this destruction, pain and slaughter is YOUR fault?"_ Said the shocked princess who's rage was becoming more and more evident to the point where she was actually thinking about striking the Prince.

 _"Farah... Please understand. I couldn't just wait for a certain death, I had to do something! But then again I also had to save Kaileena... I already played too much with the timeline... I wont turn back the clock again, I just can't force myself to interfere with other people's lives again!"_ It was in that precise moment when the Prince felt something he had never experienced before. A sensation which was slowly burning his soul and was forcing him to see the hostile nature of his own self.

The Indian Princess suddenly pulled out a knife she had hidden in her armor and charged at the Prince with nothing but sheer hate. However, she was stopped by the young general who gently grabbed by the arm. _"I understand how you feel, princess. Nevertheless, I will not stand still and watch you kill each other"._ Dardan's eyes meet with the princess ones and just a fraction of a second was all he needed to notice that she was about to burst into tears. _"There is no use for crying over spilled milk. If seek nothing but revenge you will only find yourself suffering even more from your own actions... Princess... Farah, regrets serve no purpose, therefore you must carry on with your life and forget the past!"._ Dardan's words seemed to had awoken some forgotten feelings within the poor princess. Thus, Farah put away her knife.

 _"Farah... I am sorry... I would never consider doing something that could harm you in any way and-"_ The Prince was suddenly interrupted by the enraged woman.

 _"Do not talk to me like if you knew me! Because you don't, Prince. As far as I am concerned, you are not different from that old Vizier...to my eyes you are nothing but an utterly selfish being! Hence I cannot trust you!"_ Farah's sharp and strong words pierced the Prince's mind like a sword to someone's skin. The group remained in silence for some seconds that seemed like an eternity, nobody could gather enough valor to break that uncomfortable silence.

 ** _"Well that was a threatening speech! Who does she think she is, huh?"._**

Fortunately for everyone Dardan decided to take the initiative and talked. _"Look, we all have been through a lot so I suggest we call it a day and head for the hideout. Once there you all can recover and regain strength for tomorrow. Come on, I will show you the way"_. Thus everybody followed the young man through those narrow alleys.

Eventually Dardan stopped in front of a rather small wooden door which seemed to be locked tightly despite its fragile appearance. After a series of knocks, which appeared to had a patron, the door opened and they walked inside.

 _"So the rumors were true after all... General Dardan, you made it out of the coliseum! And you brought with you some survivors too!"_ Exclaimed a Persian soldier right after quickly locking the door behind them.

 _"Well, it looks like nobody can keep a secret around here! Oh, and by the way... These people are not ordinary citizens. On my way to the coliseum I came across an empress, a princess and the prince of Persia... It seems today is my lucky day!"_ Said Dardan, who appeared to had regained his good mood.

 _"I don't believe it myself! Our fortune is finally at our favor! Now with the prince among us we can plan a better counterattack. You see, now that we have such a powerful ally we can remake our strategies... But first you all need to rest, nobody can work properly if their stomachs are empty. Please, you are free to eat and drink as much as you can, you can also sleep for some hours if you wish to"_ Said the soldier as he guided them towards a large dinning room where at least twenty-five soldiers were walking from one place to another and discussing about the next day's attack. _"As you can probably tell, this old building was actually both a secret tavern and a brothel. Here, all sorts of bandits and criminals used to spend most of their time..."._ Then the man pointed at a stairway which was situated at the back of the room. _"See those stairs over there? They lead to a large hall with many rooms that were used by the escorts and their customers. Feel free to have some rest there"._

Dardan smiled and nodded immediately. _"I cannot thank you enough for all your assistance, you are truly a good soldier. Now I would appreciate if you could prepare something to eat for us"._ The man did as his general told him and in half an hour he prepared four bowls of soup, some lamb chops, fruit and gave them a large jar filled with water. The four of them were starving so they didn't waste any time and within an hour they devoured that banquet.

 _"Haven't eat so much in a long, long time! I guess befriending a prince, a princess and an empress have it's perks!"_ Exclaimed Dardan cheerfully as he placed a map of the palace on the table. It was time to organize the assault for the following day. _"Alright, here is the plan. First and foremost, we must get rid the palace defenses, with his unique agility the Prince can easily infiltrate through one of the main towers which is located near the main entrance... Secondly, we need to create a distraction at least for ten minutes so that all of the attention gets concentrated at the main gate... Third, the Prince must take advantage of the distraction and free all of the Persian royal guard that is being captive within the palace's dungeon... Finally, with the aid of the royal guard we can regain control over the whole district and in the process set free all of the captive soldiers who are in the north zone of the city. Any questions?"._

 _"What about me?"_ Asked the concerned empress. _"You cannot expect me to simply sit down and wait while all of you risk your lives"._

 _"Oh! I almost forgot. You, princess Farah and me are going to be the first to enter the palace once we get rid of the defenses. Once there we will join the Prince and help him to free our men"_ Answered the young general. _"Okay people! Now rest until dawn. We can do this!"_

 ** _"We should call it a day, Prince"._**

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**

 ** _DAMN! I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS ONE. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE READ! THANKS ;)._**


	11. At Ease

**_I DON'T OWN A THING NEITHER DO I GET ANY PROFIT FROM THIS!_**

 ** _-AT EASE-_**

The Prince shut the wooden door, leaving behind that tense atmosphere and replacing it for a quiet and relaxed one. _"(Finally I get some proper rest... I still cannot get over the fact that I am responsible for ruining Farah's life... I wish things would have been different...)"._

Eventually the tired warrior locked the door. He had reached the point where he was unable to perform properly any kind of intense or exhausting activity, well, not quite. He did not want to be disturbed, a simple bandage for his wounds, some water and onto to get some precious and deserved sleep. With all those thoughts clashing within his mind he didn't notice the lady who was sitting on the bed's edge behind him.

 _"At last we are able to have some privacy... "_ Spoke the woman behind him with a serene yet energized tone impregnated within her beautiful and seductive voice.

The blue eyed man slowly turned around only to face the woman who gave a new purpose to his painful life, the empress of time, who was removing her crimson dress. Little by little revealing that exceptional physique she was born and blessed with. The weak light the candles on the walls offered only enhanced even more the perfection of her creamy skin...the harmony her pronounced curves had. She was definitely a one beauty which had the joy of being as rare and unique as a shooting star travelling across the night sky. _"Come to me, my Prince. I have been through a lot, I need you to help me forget all this chaos and madness, at least for a moment..."_.

Those words that Kaileena had spoken instantly triggered once again that burning desire held deep within his soul and flesh, a desire any man would had. Thus he approached to her lover. The closer he was getting to the object of his desires, the higher heights his anxiety was reaching. Such numerous amounts of unfortunate and bloody events taking place at that short period of time made him forget how addictive the empress was, now it was time to refresh his memory.

As soon as he reached his destination, he inhaled deeply that scent, that intoxicating smell the woman before was still bearing. _"Why you are so beautiful? I cannot think of any reason"_ Asked the marveled Prince as he gently positioned on top of her. Only then his lips landed on Kaileena's fleshy ones and their tongues could finally met after such a long time. Up and down, left and right, both tongues were wrestling inside their mouths. The moist struggle was turning more and more roughly as the foreplay went on. At one point the Prince broke the kiss and his hands commenced to travel all across the body of the green eyed beauty.

 _"I do not know about that, my Prince. Though I can tell I am beautiful enough to make you forget about that other woman..."._ Kaileena's words weren't many yet they caused the Prince to stop worshiping her body and establish eye contact. _"You do not have to hide anything from me, I know how you felt towards her... She is the daughter of the maharaja, hence she was the woman involved in the liberation of the sands. The time line does not commit any type of mistake... Why didn't you tell me who she was?"._

 ** _"Well that's a first! Since when she started to keep such important information to herself?"._**

 _"You knew who she was and didn't even tell me before? Sorry but I think you are the one who should be giving explanations, Kaileena"_ Said the Prince as he sat at the beds edge. The empress tried to answer the best she could but he didn't allow her to. Instead, he raised the tone of his voice further. _"Are you still able to see what events will take place in the future? Did you know this disaster would happen?! Why wouldn't you tell me?!"._

 _"Pardon me? Please don't jump into conclusions, Prince, because I know as much as you regarding this mess! People who disturb the timeline are a matter of great concern for me"_ Answered the empress who was now covering her breasts with some cushions. Unfortunately for her, she only seemed to had awoken even more anger within the upset prince.

 ** _"Always hiding something or speaking with riddles... She is not supposed to do that, is she?"._**

 _"You always avoid telling things the way they are, Kaileena! You surely possess an incredibly amount of knowledge that could be useful. I just want a straightforward answer!"._ The poor prince felt nothing but remorse about their current situation but the possibility of Kaileena knowing something that could change things for better was assaulting his thoughts. The tension kept rising.

 _"I will not allow you to say anymore nonsense! You want a straightforward answer? Fine! I will give you one, Prince"_ Spoke an irritated empress before taking a deep breath. _"First of all, I did not know this catastrophe would take place. I could only see the possible outcomes of certain things back in my island. Ever since I left the possibility of knowing the future became nothing but a mere memory... I still possess most of my powers actually but foreseeing events is not one of them... Are you happy know? Have I regained you trust?"._

 ** _"See? It wasn't so hard after all"._**

 _"I am sorry, Kaileena. It's just...there is too much things going on around me and I can't find a way to cope with all this impotence"._ The prince was extremely exhausted and confused. There were many things which caused him to feel uncertain not only about his own future but his loved ones as well. He felt almost an electric impulse travelling throughout his body when Kaileena embraced him from behind.

 _"I am begging you, my Prince... Please stop suffering so much. I can sense you pain and insecurities and I cannot stand still and watch you fight them alone..."_ Spoke the empress as tears travelled across his cheeks. _"I spent all the days of my life giving and receiving pain...alone...and nobody else besides you ever gave me that gaze, a gaze which reflected something new to me...I want to believe it is love but I am afraid that it may not-"_ The crying empress speech was suddenly interrupted when the Prince passionately crushed his lips with hers.

 _"I promise you... I will never do anything that can hurt you in any way, my love... It is late, Kaileena. We should rest a little bit because tomorrow we are going to save this city"._ Kaileena nodded, cuddled with him and closed her eyes knowing that the following day anything could happen. Thus the couple fell asleep.

 ** _"(Know this, my prince...your journey will not end well...no man can change their fate...YOU ARE A FOOL, PRINCE! No matter how hard you try, you still fail... I WILL KILL YOU!... All that is yours is rightfully mine!...and mine it will be...)"._**

The Prince suddenly woke up and screamed in despair _"NO! Shut up! Leave me be!"._

Almost immediately, his lover woke up from her calm slumber and was shocked by the odd sight of her beloved man covering his ears and yelling at nobody. It was definitely a strange picture but also a depressing one as well since he appeared to be under humongous amounts of stress. _"Prince! Snap out of it! It's me, there is nobody else in here!"_ Desperately exclaimed the empress. However, words didn't seem to be of any use, she then knew that she had to take further action in order to bring him back to his right mind. Thus, Kaileena slapped him as hard as she could, hoping that would make him stop.

 ** _"Hey! That's rude thing to say, don't you think?"._**

 _"Wha-! Who is...?!"_ Was all he could manage to say before realizing that things were beginning to get out of hand. The fact that we was having constant nightmares greatly perturbed him, in addition to that, he had to cope with that sassy and mysterious inner voice which was, little by little, sowing a seed of doubt about his mental health. In other words, he had reached the point where he could easily be regarded as an insane person. _"Please forgive me, Kaileena... I-I just don't know what is happening to me... Please, help me"._

Despite being puzzled about what exactly was taking place within her lover's mind, the empress's lips formed a bitter smile and her gaze resembled that of a mother's. After a brief pause and with a wise tone dominating her voice she answered. _"You...are going through many painful and sad moments, my prince...and you are struggling with yourself in order to make up your mind about what you truly stand for... At least that is what I see when I look you in the eyes. Your decisions might have influenced this outcome, that is an undeniable fact... Nevertheless, that doesn't mean you cannot sort this thing out. You ought to have more faith in yourself, Prince, if you are lacking in confidence you can forget about changing things!"._ Kaileena then moved closer to him and whispered to his ear. _"I want to see the man whose determination alone made him change his own fate..."._

The only thing the frightened man could do at that moment was to stare at the woman who was by his side and remain in silence for painful seconds, uncertain of what fate had reserved for him, what kinds of dark surprises were waiting for him at the end of his seemingly endless journey.

* * *

 _"Cannot sleep, huh? I know this is no palace but you got to admit that the former owners knew how to keep their precious customers comfortable..."_ Said Dardan as he approached to the insomniac princess who was cuddling a rather big cushion. She didn't seem to mind him entering the room, after all she didn't even bothered in closing it in the first place. _"Hey, You should have some rest. I mean, those wounds need to heal, you know?"._

 _"I know that. I am not that stupid, you know? I just cannot help myself... Everytime I close my eyes bloody images of piles of dead bodies appear, my people...my family"_ Spoke the dark haired princess, trying to prevent her voice from breaking. _"If you are willing to convince me to fall asleep don't waste your breath"._

Seeing that there was no use, the young general walked towards Farah and sat at her side, facing the opposite direction. _"You do not have to worry about that, princess. I also find it hard to get some sleep with all this chaotic storm of death surrounding us... Besides, I always wanted to be in a slumber party... It goes without saying that if you want to be alone there is no problem whatsoever, princess"._

 _"Huh? Why does everyone tend to forget that I can handle things on my own? I am self sufficient! I must avenge my father's death...my kingdom's destruction..."._ Farah's loud voice destroyed the calm atmosphere almost immediately. Of course she was going through a difficult moment and she had every right to be crunchy, however, as a result of being in constant contact with the crude nature which surrounded her, she had developed the bad habit of not making any effort in socializing with anyone else. She had lost everything she once had loved, all those people whose lives were destroyed without mercy... She was certain that her once perfect life was reduced to nothing, her whole world was a wreck and pain, blood and suffering was the only thing guaranteed for her. _"I don't know why I am even bothering... You cannot possibly understand how does it feels to lose everything you once loved"._

The young princess's sharp words immediately awoke that awful image within his head. The young boy crying over the death of his father, the only person that he had ever loved in his life... Words couldn't describe impotence he felt at that moment. _"I understand how you feel, princ- Farah... Believe it or not, I do. Many years ago I lost my father...he got involved with the wrong kind of people and as a result he had to pay for his mistakes with his life..."_ Dardan took a deep breath, knowing how hard it was for him to open his mind to someone else. _"He was murdered in front of me... I remember staring for hours at his dead eyes...the image of his lifeless gaze still haunts me to this day... At times I kind of feel thankful towards him, because him losing his life provoked mine to reborn"._ He suddenly stopped.

 _"Reborn? What do you mean?"_ Asked a concerned Farah.

 _"It is late, princess. You should get some rest... Tomorrow will be an historical day"_ Said Dardan as he silently left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The bloody and deserted streets of an agonic Babylon were illuminated at dawn as the sun emerged from its hideout. Once the veil of absolute darkness was gone an alarming quantity of dead bodies adorning the ground could be seen. The ruthlessness of the heartless invaders seemed to had no bounds.

 _"Alright! That wraps up that loose end... Any questions?"_ Asked the general facing his remaining men. The Prince, Kaileena and Farah were at his side. Seeing that nobody needed further explanation about the plan, Dardan continued. _"Fine, so the Prince and his friends being our trump card for the assault to the palace will be taking another route in order to infiltrate and deactivate the defenses. All this while we attack the palace's main gate and resist until The defenses are gone... By the time we enter the building the Prince will had freed the royal guards from the dungeon... Only then we are going to save this whole city!"._ Everyone present within the room cheered and raised their swords with nothing but valor inside their hearts. _"We are the greatest kingdom known to man! We fight defending our principles! We live following the virtuous path of the warrior!... And we die surrounded by flames of glory and honor! Today we WILL free Babylon from these fiends!"_ Yelled Dardan and everybody clapped in excitement.

 ** _"That's right! It is time for us to punish those unworthy worms for taking over what IS rightfully ours!"._**

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._

 ** _THANKS FOR THE READ! I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKE!._**


	12. Shadow

**_SHADOW_**

Mahasti sprinted towards the Vizier and stopped once she was closer to him only to bow down. _"My lord! There are not sings of the Prince or the empress. I apologize for not being able to capture them... However, they were last seen heading towards the market district. We might have a chance to capture them if we make an ambush near the area"_ reported the woman, trying not to let the pain the injury she had on her torso affect the serious and respectful tone her speech had. Despite all of her expectations about her opponent, Mahasti found herself ashamed of the abrupt and painful ending her confrontation with the Prince had. _"(You may enjoy basking in the sweet victory today, Prince... Nevertheless, tomorrow will be another day, then we shall conclude with our feud)"._

The Vizier gave her a bitter stare and proceeded to answer her subordinate while at the same time checking the state of the injury he had on his right hand. _"Mahasti, you already have done enough. You were in charge of my protection and the one who should have had everything under control during the ritual!"_ Spoke the old man as he walked from side to side. _"Three of my strongest servants have been defeated by the Prince AND the empress, let alone the fact that someone has interrupted the ritual and... If I hadn't had the Knight as my trump card, I do not know how I would carry on with my plans! Useless and incompetent fools! My patience is wearing thin"._

Those words powerfully caught the woman's attention. _"I am begging you, my lord! One day, just give me one day and I promise you I will retrieve the empress of time with the warm blood of the prince adorning her skin! Please-"_ Mahasti suddenly found herself facing the sharp edge of the sword her lord was holding.

 _"Do not dare question me, Mahasti! Otherwise I promise you a painful and miserable end! The Knight knows what to do in this sort of situation... From now on he will be the one to carry with the plan... As for the rest of us, we will meet at the palace and wait there until he arrives with the empress"_ Zurvan coldly said as he turned his back on his servant. _"I already told you what to do, so do not hesitate with your task. Now out of my sight, Mahasti"._

* * *

 _THE NEXT DAY..._

The Prince, Dardan and the rest had been mulling things over for they were in two minds about how to proceed with the plan. On one hand they initially were planning to follow the plan as scheduled, but on the other hand with the sudden appearance of the prince and the empress things twisted even more. Luckily for them, they made the decision of splitting. Dardan would lead the remaining troops whereas the Prince would head to the palace with Kaileena and Farah.

 _"I am not particularly certain about continuing the journey with someone else, but I guess that if we a more we will stand a better chance against a thousand men"_ Said the vibrant princess as she silently walked behind the prince. _"Uh, pardon me if I am mistaken but aren't we walking in circles? You are the Prince around here so shouldn't you know how to move across this city?"._ The princess curiosity was beginning to get under their skin, specially the empress's.

 ** _"She surely knows how to imitate a pesky fly, doesn't she? It would be nice if she could also fly away..."._**

 _"I haven't been around my city for several years know, of course my memories about this city are somewhat deteriorated... But you should not worry, Farah. That doesn't mean I have absolutely no clue where to go"_ Answered the young prince, hoping in vain to silence the impatient princess at least for a moment. _"I am quite sure that we are getting close. If my calculations are correct, we should get to the eastern side of the palace in no time if we keep moving by the rooftops"._

 _"Oh! That is a brilliant deduction, my prince. How could you tell, anyway? Was it the wind, the birds or the fact that the palace is the most visible landmark of the entire city?!"_ Exclaimed Kaileena, trying to break that tense, serious and bitter atmosphere there were trapped into for the past hours. Farah immediately smirked. And the Prince found himself rather surprised about that sudden spark of playfulness that had appeared within the empress.

 ** _"Talk about a mood swing"._**

The Prince gave the ladies a warm yet sarcastic smile. _"Oh! That's right, I forgot I am as plain and simple minded as a lifeless rock. Hehe... I was just being sarcastic, in case you did not notice"._

 ** _"Oh... Really?"._**

 _"Fine! Since we finally broke the ice we can begin to know each other properly! First you, Prince"_ Said the now vivid princess with her eyes on the man. _"Mmmmh...now tell me... What is your favorite color?"._

 ** _"Favorite color?...that's kinky"._**

 _"M-my favorite color? Let me think... I don't know. Blue? Where are you driving at, Farah?"._ The Prince was caught out of guard by the nature of the question _._

 ** _"Seriously, blue? Come on now, that is not my favorite color! I would go with yellow or gold"._**

 _"All I intend to do is to talk about something else! Nearly all of our conversations since we first met were just related to saving this kingdom, killing the Vizier and avenging the death of many! Why do all our conversations must have a serious tone?"_ Yelled Farah. Kaileena folded her arms and just enjoyed the image of the Prince, the mighty warrior who had bested an unstoppable creature, being yelled by the young princess for such silly things. _"Perfect! Now that I made that clear is your turn, Kaileena. Tell me, do you have any hobbies?"_ Asked Farah, noticing how almost immediately the empress relaxed expression morphed into an uncomfortable one. _"You must have hobbies. You know, something you do in your spare time?"._

 ** _"Does trying to kill you count?"._**

 _"To your knowledge, I DO have hobbies. I enjoy long walks at the beach of my island, making handcraft and of course designing my own garments"_ Answered the uneasy empress, trying to appear as convincing as possible. The princess gave her an odd stare before replying.

 _"That is odd. For a person who enjoys walks at the beach you are quite pale, Kaileena. I do not have a problem with the handcraft thing and as for your clothes, well, lets just say that I am not surprised about you being the one who design them..."_ Somehow, Farah's attempt to lighten up the tense atmosphere provoked even more tension. Kaileena remained silent, probably ashamed of herself for giving those unconvincing answers. But the princess wasn't done just yet. As a matter of fact, she was willing to ask even more questions. Then she looked at the Prince once again, ready to bomb his mind with more queries about his personal preferences. _"Despite the lack of energy both of you have when it's time to answer some harmless questions, I actually believe we are making progress here! Alright, Prince, it's your turn again"._

The Prince almost jumped backwards when he realized more questions were about to get shot at him. _"Great! You mean we are going to play this silly game until we get to the palace?"._

 _"Well, that is quite a naive question, Prince. And the answer is yes! We have plenty of time until we reach our destination so might as well using it to get to know ourselves better! Now, where was I? Oh, that's right. Tell me, being a prince involves many obligations, I know that, but I am almost certain that you must have plenty of ways to entertain yourself while not attending to your duties... I would like to know what things someone around here does whenever they have free time"_ Asked the princess who was pretty much enjoying herself asking those things.

 ** _"Mmmhh let me think for a while...so many things... Oh! I know! Spending time with the ladies at the harem"._**

 _"*Shhhh* As I said before, I haven't been around here for several years. Hence I think I am not the right person to call when it comes to Babylon's leisure activities. Oh, and despite the misconceptions you have about the nature of my activities-"._ The now puzzled prince ended his speech abruptly when Farah, seemingly with no reason whatsoever, aimed her bow almost directly to his head.

 ** _"See? Now she wants to kill us"._**

 _"Look out, Prince! Get down!"_ Commanded the princess and the prince, seeing the seriousness engraved within her words, quickly followed her orders and crouched. Thus, the princess shot an arrow but seemed to miss her target. _"Damn!"_ Farah cursed as she prepared herself to shoot another arrow.

 _"It is her! The woman who was with the Vizier at the coliseum_! _She has been following us all this time?"_ Exclaimed Kaileena before entering pointing one of her swords to Mahasti, who was standing on a terrace near them. The prince quickly got up and quickly drew his sword. However, instead of staying and fight them, the woman laughed and and ran inside the the construction.

 _"Prince! Come after me if you dare!"_ Dared Mahasti before disappearing after entering.

 ** _"Do not let her mock us, Prince. After her!"._**

 _"I'll go after her! Kaileena, you and Farah stay here and wait for me while I deal with her"_ Commanded the Prince but as soon as he made the first steps towards the building, a firm grip from Kaileena prevented him to go any further.

 _"Do you actually expect me to stay here and do nothing?! What if something happens?! It's pretty obvious that she wants to lure you to a trap!"_ Said the worried empress. _"She surely wants the dagger, Prince. We cannot afford to lose precious time with her!"_ She exclaimed almost like if she had the conviction about the Prince's imminent death.

The young Prince stopped struggling with her grip and turned just to meet with Kaileena's jade eyes, staring at his soul and piercing that barrier within his heart which separated the warrior in his soul from his most inner and true feelings. _"I am not doing this for me, Kaileena... I will be back immediately"._ The empress hesitated for a moment but finally released his arm and nodded with a small, bitter smile engraved on her face. Farah, on the other hand seemed uncertain about what to think.

 ** _"Come on, lets go"._**

Thus the man sprinted towards the building. Once inside he found himself partially blinded by the darkness present within the old place, it seemed that someone had covered most of the windows on purpose. _"I can barely see a thing"_ Said the Prince as he slowly walked his way inside, more and more deeper into the place, carefully trying not to stumble with one of the many things that were laying on the floor. Eventually he entered a rather large room which had a hole in the ceiling, which provided some illumination for his relief. The room also had large, shallow pool in its center. _"This must be an old bath"._

 ** _"Great! Now that we are alone... You reckon you were not particularly convincing back the with the empress? I mean, come on now, this mixture of people and unexpected things charging at you with no mercy...it's just so annoying, don't you think?"._**

 _"Pardon me? First and foremost, You are not particularly the most suitable person to talk about the way I think or my motives. Second, I was being sincere with Kaileena, why wouldn't I be? And finally, you do not know me"_ The prince replied, forgetting about the woman who was likely roaming the place and lurking in the shadows, awaiting for the right time to strike.

 ** _"Despite admiring the arrogance you present by actually believing what you say, I can't help but to feel like you could show some respect to me, after all it is I who has your back... And this is not the exception, Prince. Watch out! Behind us!"._**

The Prince immediately jumped to his right avoiding Mahasti's spiked chain for the most part. He screamed in pain when the sharp daggertail embedded in his left arm. _"Bitch!"._

 _"We finally meet again, Prince... You don't need to return the chain, consider it as a gift"._ Then Mahasti walked from the shadows while playfully waving the short swords she had. A wicked smile appeared underneath her mask when she took a better glance at the injured Prince's arm. The blood didn't waste a second and began to partially paint his skin with its unique crimson color. _"I have a favor to return to you, Prince. Count on it! Believe it of not I am rather deadly when I am in possession of my twin swords..."._

 ** _"Ignore the pain, Prince! It will fade in a few moments, you will see"._**

 _"You treacherous bitch. You fancied death so badly that you ended up following me"_ Said the wounded man with his sword already in his hand. _"If you have this dead wish it cannot be helped, your blood will be adorning my blade by the end of this fight!"._ With no more words to say, the prince charged at the woman and brawny clashed his blade with hers, causing several sparks to appear and briefly illuminating the obscure place.

 _"Well, that is a relief! You seem to have plenty of energy left despite being injured... But that is meaningless, in the end you are nothing but a pesky fly which deserved to die slow and painfully!"_ Exclaimed Mahasti as she strongly pressed her short swords against the Prince's, whose face quickly reflected surprise due to her strength. She then raised her knee and hit him directly in his liver area, provoking him to stumble backwards and hence, leaving his guard open for an instant. An instant which meant an opportunity, an opportunity Mahasti didn't waste and slashed him in the right side of his torso.

The Prince twitched in pain briefly because of his new wound which had been deep enough to penetrate his leather armor. _"Tell me something, is that the best you have to offer?"_ Taunted the man, knowing that he had to gain advantage in any way fast for if he didn't, he could be in real trouble.

 _"Look who's talking! Sorry but I am going to make you eat those words"._ Thus the woman swung her blades once again aiming to the right side of his torso. Despite her the accuracy of her attacks, the Prince could block it this time and counterattack by slashing her left arm and forcefully kicking her stomach and sending her to the ground. _"S-son of bitch!"_ Cried the injured woman.

 _"Why do you even bother? I already told you the outcome of this feud will be your death"_ Defied the Prince.

 _"I am the general of lord Zurvan's mighty army! Nobody looks down on me!"._ Mahasti got up and triggered a chain of attacks to her opponent. However, her strikes had barely any effect on the Prince because of his sharp reflexes and acrobatic skills. It was almost like if he could somehow predict the range and direction of her attacks. _"Hold still!"_ Fiercely screamed the woman before delivering a powerful swing with one of her swords, a swing which she was convinced it would land on the Prince's body... Unfortunately for her, the man parried and slashed her torso quite forcefully, sending her back to the darkness.

 _"Had enough?"_ Taunted the confident man.

 _"It seems that I underestimated you, Prince... That unique ability of yours that allows you to learn about your attacker's technique in seconds..."_ Said Mahasti from the darkness. Her voice filled with rage. _"I realized this the first time we fought! That is why I chose this old building for your final resting place! You are not able to counter any attack your eyes can't perceive, Prince... With the next strike I will put an end to your miserable life and regain my status!"._

 ** _"Perhaps you can't see your opponents attacks...but you can still hear her actual movements. Let the sound of her steps be her downfall, Prince!"._**

 _"YOU ARE MINE, PRINCE!"_ Screamed the woman as she jumped from behind and prepared to decapitate the Prince.

 _"Now!"._ Much to Mahasti's surprise Prince immediately turned and, with a quick yet powerful swing of his sword, he severed her right arm. His eyes reflected a feeling which made him feel uneasy when he realized Mahasti was still alive. He then approached to the downed warrior and contemplated how she writhed in pain while her arm poured lots of blood.

 ** _"Finish her..."._**

 _"Hehe...so this is what I get for disobeying orders... My lord will not be pleased when the news about my death reach his ears..."_ Managed the woman as she felt how life was escaping from her body. _"Hehe...you think you are fighting for a noble cause, huh? Killing countless people because_

 ** _"What are you waiting for?! Erase this worthless pile of garbage from this world now!"._**

 _"It must be sad to die with the permanent stigma of failure haunting your soul... I pity you"_ Replied the Prince as he slowly set down his sword. This immediately caused a burning sensation within his body, a feeling which seemed to be taking complete control over his body.

 ** _"I see... If lack the strength or courage to carry on with this fight I'll will help you!"._**

Suddenly, a black cloud of mist appeared around the Prince's body and commenced to impregnate his skin, turning its tanned color into a coal like one. He screamed in pain for his skin seemed to be getting burnt to the bone by that mysterious mist. He looked at his hands and felt great despair when he realized what was happening to him. Patters of golden light were also appearing across his body. **_"What...! What I have become?! A...monster?! I feel...different..."._** Yelled the Prince as he regained his composure.

 ** _"I wouldn't call it a monster, Prince. An evolution, if you will... Let's just say that you have been given the power to destroy all of your enemies, the strength to endure more than a piece of steel, the ability to take your already exquisite skills to the next level!"._**

Seeing the sudden distraction by the Prince, Mahasti pulled out a whistle and made what was cleary a signal with all the strengths she had left. _"You damn fool! I don't care what you are but you will meet your fate right now! More men are coming! You are not going to survive-"_ She couldn't finish her sentence due to the Prince stabbing her belly with the scorpion blade, causing a lot of blood to burst and finally putting an end to her life.

 ** _"I feel...strange... Like if all my wounds would had disappeared"_** Said the Prince.

 ** _"Feels good, doesn't it? The way taking a life somehow replenish yours... Let the lives of your enemies feed your own and build your strength!"._**

Suddenly, a group of five soldiers rushed into the room. Naturally, they jumped backwards at the horrific sight of the newly transformed Prince. _"What in the world are you?!"_ Screamed one man almost in despair. _"Look! Our general Mahasti is dead! You damn fiend!"_ Yelled another soldier.

 ** _"Come to me...if you dare"_** Said the defiant Prince, who was now experiencing an extremely powerful impulse to spill the blood of his enemies as fast as possible. The group of men hesitated at first, they were rooted to the spot not only for his horrific appearance but also for the negative and tense energy he was emanating.

 _"Y-you f-fools! Do not just stand there, attack now!"_ Commanded one of them, likely knowing that their fate was already sealed. The frightened men furiously ran towards the Prince, preparing their swords and axes to land on the dark warrior's flesh.

 ** _"The chain is now part of your body, Prince! Use as a means of punishment for these fools!"._**

Immediately he did as his inner voice said and waved his left arm only to witness how the chain he had attached to his body enlarged and shine with a golden aura. With one quick swing of the daggertail he slice the throats of two of the soldiers. **_"(This is incredible! I can feel how both my strength and speed have increased. What is this power?)"_** Thought the Prince before performing an exceptional flip over his remaining enemies, severing heads, cutting throats and splitting torsos in half before landing. **_"What is happening to me I feel more-"_** Said the man before stopping abruptly and taking a good look at his reflection on the water, realizing that he had indeed turned into a monster.

 ** _"Like faster, stronger...smarter? It's beautiful, isn't it? You are now something unique, exceptional, godlike... The representation of all your restless dreams, all your hopes and hidden potential!"._**

 ** _"Is it permanent?"_** Asked the Prince, frightened about what his inner voice's answers would be.

 ** _"It can be, if you want to"._**

 ** _"I DO NOT want to remain as a...freak for the rest of my life!"_** He replied.

 ** _"Believe me, you will. Besides, you shouldn't say such disrespectful things about what saved your life! You mustn't fight again yourself, Prince. Embrace your true essence and never let it go..."._**

The Prince was so concentrated in analyzing his new face that he accidentally tripped over a dead body and fell into the water. As soon as the moist embrace of the water soaked his whole body a cloud of vapor was expelled from his skin. He the felt how the burning sensation disappeared completely from his body. At that moment he almost lost consciousness. _"I am myself again? The water! It must somehow have a reverse effect on the transformation. Why didn't you tell me before?!"._

 ** _"And ruin all the fun?"._**

 _"You seem to have plenty of knowledge about what is going on. Stop playing dumb and give me a straightforward answer, will you?"._ The Prince was completely puzzled but amazed at the same time. He demanded an answer, anything that helped to vanish the mysterious mist of secrets that was surrounding his whole being.

 ** _"I believe I have already told you this before. Oh well, let's just say that somehow you were infected with the power of the sands of time... This could linked with either you f-, I mean, intimating with the empress for so many nights OR the blast you received from the Vizier's staff... Anyhow the result is splendid"._**

 _"Correct me if I am incorrect but being infected by the sands of time is NOT particularly a good thing!"_ The prince responded.

 ** _"Oh, come on now! Do not pretend to be displeased with your new power! The strength and technique you pour within each of your attacks is magnificent! Do not be such a killjoy, Prince!"._**

 _"...You are a rather insistent inner voice, you know? In any case, we shall continue this talk another time. We must go back with Kaileena and Farah"._ Thus the Prince left the room, hoping to somehow comprehend what exactly was happening with both his body and mind.

 ** _"Another time? Oh, joy!"._**

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	13. A Prince and a Princess

**_A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS_**

The Prince stepped outside the building, hoping to find some relief in the green eyes of his beloved. However, the crude nature of the image that was waiting for him struck his turbulent mind. An injured princess was laying near a couple of dead bodies. _"Farah? What on earth happened?! Where is Kaileena?!"_ Exclaimed the alarmed Prince as he approached and took a better look at her. She seemed to had been hit in the head, very forcefully he could tell by the appearance of her wounds. It was quite obvious that she had lost consciousness due to the blow in her head. _"Can you still hear me? Come on, Farah, Snap out of it, Please!"_

Eventually she commenced to regain some of her senses and tried to communicate with him but her words didn't had much sense. After a couple of tries, Farah finally managed to speak. _"Prince...where were you...? He took her..."_ Blabbed the Indian princess. _"We were ambushed by a group of men and..."_ She suddenly hesitated, this caused the Prince to dive deeper into an ocean of despair.

 _"You were attacked? Did someone...? Did those men took her?!"_ Asked the man.

At that moment Farah began to regain her composure. _"N-no...we managed to kill them rather easily actually"_ Farah stopped for an instant as if her thoughts were suddenly hit by lightning, a lightning which came in the form of a recall. _"Prince, I remember Kaileena saying that she felt dizzy and with nausea all of a sudden... It was then when he appeared..."._

 _"Who?! Who was it? Was it one of the Vizier's men? In any case, I am rather surprised that Kaileena was captured again... The first time we were caught off guard, but now you mean to tell me that someone just came and took her away?"_ The Prince just couldn't even start to untie the web of mystery that was strangling his life. _"Please, try to remember!"_ He begged.

After some painful moments, Farah miraculously began to reminisce about what had happened. _"...Now I remember. Kaileena felt sick and immediately a tall, burly man covered in some kind of armor appeared... All left I can recall is being hit in the back of the head by him... After that, everything faded... But what I cannot figure out though is why he did not kill me... He had the chance to take my life and did not do it... If he was under the Vizier's command he would had orders to kill me"._

 ** _"Mmh... A man completely covered in amor? He must be that mysterious bronze knight those men were taking about, remember? He is likely to follow the Vizier's orders AND that means he is heading to the palace as well, which is where he is waiting"._**

 _"The bronze knight... If he is under the Vizier's command he must be heading to the palace as well... I am afraid that he wants to gather both Kaileena and the dagger of time so that he can absorb her powers!"_ Thought out loud the worried man, realizing how potentially inevitable the humongous threat the Vizier actually represented. It wasn't just the city, a kingdom what was in risk of being destroyed, everything known to man could be in danger.

 _"What?! Look, I am fully aware of the dagger, its power and her being the empress of tune and all but would you mind explaining me what exactly-"._ Farah was suddenly interrupted by the Prince.

 _"It is too difficult to be explained, but lets just say that I witnessed what the true powers of the sands are capable of... And what is worst, Kaileena herself is the sheer essence of the sands and that essence is what the Vizier wants from her... In other words, he seeks to absorb the entire power of the sands and then..."_ The Prince stopped abruptly.

 _"And what would a man become if he gets the power of the sands of time?"_ Replied the princess, fearing the worst.

 ** _"He would turn into something...exceptional, unique or special, to say the least. Just like someone I know"._**

 _"I cannot tell for sure, but being in direct contact with the sands can turn anyone into a monster and also grant them incredible abilities... Imagine that if just by getting in contact with the sands you receive powerful skills what would they do to your own being if you absorb them completely?"._ The Prince took a deep breath and before Farah could answer he continued, confirming her fears. _"The Vizier wants to become a godlike creature..."_ He bitterly said.

 _"But in order to fulfill his demented dream of becoming a god he has to possess both Kaileena AND the dagger of time, am I correct?"_ Said Farah, whose face now reflected hope. The Prince nodded, knowing that for the time being, they where in advantage _. "You, Prince, possess the power of the sands! You can bend the time at your own will as long as you have the dagger!"_

 ** _"Tell us something we don't know already!"._**

 _"I know! As long as I have some sand within the dagger I can do that"_ The Prince said before taking a brief look at the dagger in order to make sure that he had at least a sand deposit. Much to his surprise he actually had three full deposits of sands. _"(Perfect! At least for once fortune is by my side)"_ He thought to himself before reporting to Farah. _"It looks like I have enough sands to prevent a couple of disasters from ever happening"._

 ** _"At least we can have some insurance! Just keep in mind: Do not waste that precious sand in something that is not worth it"._**

Farah sighed in preoccupation before noticing the Prince's injured arm. _"Oh, my! What happened to you?"_ Said the princess as she carefully tried to find a way to remove the chain which was hugging his arm. The Prince didn't wait a single second and cringed in pain when Farah attempted to remove the chain. _"Sorry... I... Who did this to you? Was that woman?"._

The Prince couldn't help but to feel a mixture of discomfort and hope when he heard Farah's concerned words. That simple, yet powerful phrase pierced his hard shied of confidence and proceeded to bury a seed into his heart, a seed he was absolutely certain it died many years before. Without any doubt Farah still had a special spot imprinted in his memories, memories of both joy and desperation. The Prince didn't even try to hide his amusement. _"I is nothing to worry about... Wait, you...actually care? I thought you hated me for causing all this mess"_ A new energy was now reflected in his voice.

 ** _"Bravo! I applause to such a magnificent answer! Now I eagerly await her reply. Perhaps she will shot an arrow between your eyebrows...again!"._**

 _"Damn, Prince! Are you always this suspicious towards other people?"_ Exclaimed the Princess, clearly upset at her partner's silly behavior. _"Look, what has been done cannot be changed. If we keep arguing about our own mistakes we surely will end up getting killed or we will kill each other! Therefore we must begin to see things from another perspective and work together so we can sort this mess... I hope I was clear enough for you, Prince"._

 ** _"Just who in the world does she think she is?! Are you going to let her talk you down like that, Prince?!"._**

 _"I... I understand, I do, Farah. I am grateful to you for forgiving me after all the damage I have done to both your land and mine. Like water under the bridge, we shall forget about the gloomy past and aim our gaze to a better future!"_ Exclaimed the man.

MEANWHILE...

The old man chuckled deviously when his trusty eagle arrived with a piece of paper attached to one of its legs _"If this message tells the truth we are one step closer to achieve our goals! Now the only things we need are patience and the knight's assistance... That Mahasti... She dared question my command regardless of the consequences! At least she came to some use..."_ Said the Vizier as he turned to face his subordinate. A large man with shaved head and grotesque overweight was what the old man's eyes focused their attention, he was definitely a disgusting being. Nevertheless, that man had earned a rather alarming reputation among his fellow warriors. His brutal and sadistic methods had quickly caught the Vizier's eye. _"Klompa, with Mahasti gone you have been promoted to general of my army! But do not even think that means things are going to be any easier for you for we still have to deal with such...inconvenient threats as the Prince and the Princess"._

 _"My lord! I apologize for my ignorance, but I strongly believe I should be the one who deals with the Prince instead of the knight!"_ Spoke Klompa, who was kneeling before his lord. _"There is no doubt about it, my lord! That weak and small prince will not mean any trouble at all for me. My strength alone is enough to deal with those two!"._

The old man then slowly walked to his side and abruptly provoked a small cut on his new general's arm with a short sword he was carrying. Klompa immediately growled in pain but remained motionless as a statute. _"How many times do I have to clarify it? You must not, ever, question my orders! Let Mahasti's failure serve as an example for you, Klompa... The knight will take care of both the Prince and his partner and you will guard the main stairs during the preparations for the ritual"._ The Vizier then pressed tip of his blade on Klompa's shoulder and little by little began to bury the cold steel in his flesh. _"Was that clear enough for you? Or you want me to refresh your memory one last time?"_ Whispered the old man.

 _"N-no, my lord. I guarantee your safety during the ritual! I will protect you with my life!"_ Replied obese man before leaving the room.

SOMEWHERE NEAR THE PALACE...

The young prince looked over his shoulder just to make his partner needed assistance with the dangerous jump he had just made. Farah was standing in the other side, uncertain about how to proceed. _"What is it? Please do not tell me you cannot make this short leap"_ Teased the Prince, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

 _"Are you being serious? I was not raised by a family of pigeons, you know?"_ Replied the princess before taking a better look at the long jump she had before her. It was definitely out of reach for someone like her. The Prince on the other hand had easily jumped across and even managed to perform a couple flips while in mid air. _"I hate to say it, but you are going to have to give me a hand this time, Prince"_ Spoke Farah with some embarrassment reflected in her voice.

 ** _"Women... When they have some sort of trouble they tend to affect anyone near them"._**

 _"Oh! I beg your pardon, Princess. I did not hear what you just said, it was not clear enough. Perhaps you should try to show some proper manners?"_ Mocked the man knowing how bad his words affected the princess's pride.

 ** _"That is right, Prince. Show her who is in control"._**

Farah hesitated for a while and couldn't help but to blush because of the playful nature their conversation had acquired. With both hands on her hips she answered _"Proper manners? Ha! Look who is talking! Have you ever thought about the way you eat? I have seen pigs with better behavior while they are eating!"._

 ** _"Those are some sharp words"._**

 _"You are ruthless when you get angry, you know? Look, we can continue with this until next morning but it happens to be that we are actually short of time!"_ He said.

 _"Fine! PLEASE, mighty prince! Help me!"_ Answered the princess with a silly tone.

The Prince chuckled and prepared to receive her. Farah took a few steps backwards in order to gain as much momentum as possible. _"Come on now, please do not tell me you are afraid of falling off a terrace!"_ Teased the Prince.

After some deep breaths, the princess sprinted towards the well and jumped as far as she could. She desperately hoped to reach her partner's hands and she barely did. The Prince quickly gripped by the hips and easily pulled her. However, a bad movement by his feet caused him to slip and fall down to the terrace's ground and also causing Farah to fall on top of him,this provoked another awkward moment as the two of them were uncertain of what to say.

 _"(Farah...)"_ Thought the Prince who still had his arms around the Princess's hips. He couldn't lie to himself, part of him didn't want to let her go, not again. Farah had became quite an obsession ever since he met her for the first time and now, after all he had been through, a new opportunity presented itself. Kaileena image was still engraved in his mind, nevertheless, he couldn't help but to feel how a part of his soul he thought dead regained its life and burned intensely within his self. _"...Farah... I"_ Was all the man could manage to say.

 ** _"Oh, so sweet! I hate to interrupt such a romantic scene but we work to do. You will have plenty of time to catch up with her later, Prince"._**

The Indian princess blushed when she realized that the Prince wasn't willing to let her go that easily, at least not until she said anything. _"It is fine. You can let me go now, Prince"_ Said Farah without breaking the contact between their eyes. She couldn't deny the fact that there was something odd about her partner's personality, let alone the way he 'talked' to himself or the way he expressed himself. When she looked inside his penetrating gaze she could perceive a familiar feeling, familiar yet oblivious at the same time.

 ** _"Come on, there are more important matters to attend to, Prince. Remember? Your beloved empress, your throne, your kingdom? The list can go on for days"._**

 _"Of course. I am sorry about that, Farah"_ Apologized the Prince as he freed her from the warm prison his arms had made. Both quickly stood up without exchanging any type of contact as if what just happened had a deep impact on both of them.

After walking some meters, both had finally reached the palace's walls. The environment was quiet yet menacing as the Prince could somehow perceive the future dangers he was about to encounter once inside the building. _"It is too quiet around here, there is no signal of both our enemies and the Persian soldiers whatsoever..."_ Said the concerned Prince as he took a look at the immense structure before him. His eyes quickly spotted a window which was around ten meters away. I would have meant an unreachable place even for the Prince if not for some loose bricks that provided a decent grip for his experienced hands. Thus the Prince turned to face his partner. _"Wait here while I get up there. I will look for some kind of rope once I get there"._

Farah nodded and replied _"Fine. Just be careful"._

 _"As always..."_ Answered the man before running his way up the wall. He rapidly gripped one of the bricks and immediately proceeded to club the rest of the wall. _"Uff! Now we need to find a way to-"_ He was abruptly interrupted by his inner voice.

 ** _"A way to get to the Vizier as soon as possible before he decides what kingdom he will conquer next or how many innocent people will be mercilessly tortured in the palace's dungeon! THAT is what you should be thinking about, Prince, not about a girl you have just met!"._**

 _"What?! If you are really me, you should know by now that I know Farah and the fact that she does not remember any of the things we have been through does not mean that she is a different person"_ Replied angrily the Prince while looking for a rope behind some boxes filled with books.

 ** _"But you do not know her at all! And that is because all those things both have been though does not mean anything. Your 'affair' with this girl is not the most real thing now, the thing that really matters right now, Prince, is your enemy, the man who invaded your home and took everything that was rightfully yours and more! Once you make up your mind you will then be able to realize what your true priority actually is"._**

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	14. For Babylon

**_FOR BABYLON!_**

 _"Ah, thanks to your assistance I am now one step closer to aquire the ultimate power of the sands!"_ Exclaimed the pleased old man, who was comfortably sitting on king Sharaman's throne. The bronze knight was kneeling before him. _"To think the only person I truly needed was all along...you. All of my other men seem to lack a very important faculty which prevents them from thinking straight while they are following strict orders and accomplishing such an important task... Let alone the fact that our greatest obstacle is such a skilled and tenacious man. You will now face our greatest threat yet... The Prince is on his way, probably slashing his way through the city. He resembles a rather unstoppable force, a skilled warrior who has no fear of death"_ Said Zurvan while admiring the sharp edge of his short sword.

 _"Every single man who stepped on my way met their end in seconds. Once the Prince is gone, my service to you will reach to an end"_ Said the knight as he stood back up, then he continued. _"Everyone on this land knows very well what he is capable of. As a matter of fact, your own men have witnessed how dangerous that man can actually be. Men after men fell before him easily, three of your most powerful allies encountered their painful end by the Prince's steel... Simply put, he is thought to be the best warrior this land has ever known!"_ The knight then turned and calmly walked towards the room's entrance. _"...But that is about to change. Tomorrow the Prince's dead body shall be decorating this palace's carpets..."._

 _"I can now see that you have quite an obsession with taking his life... Nevertheless, it is an obsession I am willing to accept and even share. Guard the stairs that lead to the palace's upper level and wait for the Prince... Go! Defeat him and retrieve the dagger!"_ Said Zurvan with a cold yet anxious expression engraved on his old face. The bronze knight nodded without even turning to see his lord and left the room.

MEANWHILE

 _"Farah! You wait there while I search the palace for some curtains and-"_ The Prince was then interrupted by the Princess, who was feeling rather anxious and perhaps a little useless always waiting for him. She quickly made up other plan for them.

 _"No, Prince! You better hurry and free the royal guards without me! I can see the entrance of a sewer from here, it may lead to the baths of the palace. While you free the hostages, I will look for Kaileena!"._ The Prince quickly prepared to disagree with her new strategy, he was reluctant to get separated from her once again but then his inner voice whispered to his ear.

 ** _"Come to think of it, that is a fine strategy. Think about it, Prince. If you split, you can cover more ground in less time and therefore ending Zurvan's pathetic existence and rule over your throne faster!"._**

 _"...Fine! But, please, you must be extra cautious once you are in there since the Vizier is likely expecting us. I doubt Dardan arrived the palace yet so the palace's defenses must still function, Farah. So watch your step!"_ Yelled the Prince without even realizing that he might had drawn the enemy attention. Farah nodded and sprinted to the sewers entrance. On his own once more, the Prince began to explore the inside of the humongous building, searching for the dungeon. _"You are quite an insistent inner voice, you know that?"._

 ** _"Oh, please! Really? If it were not for me we would still be ripping the beautiful carpets and curtain of our home! You need to make decisions faster. Otherwise we may get into trouble"._**

 _"You remind me of the old man, I hope he is safe..."_ Replied the Prince as he walked through a large hallway which was suspiciously too quiet. _"These hallways seem to have no end. I remember getting lost while roaming this palace as a child... Me and my brother always caused some trouble while our father was away from home and-"_ He was suddenly interrupted by 'himself' once more.

 ** _"Pay attention! Do not move!"._**

The man soon realized the painful and lethal reality the traps of the place he called home represented. Without knowing, he had stepped on a hidden switch on the floor. The switch triggered a mechanism which provoked spikes emerge from the floor before him. Had he took another step, he would had met a certain death. The Prince immediately jumped backwards and started to analyze his options. There was a door on the other side. _"I know how these things work. They react to the weight and get triggered, however, the mechanism takes a second to start... I just have to keep moving fast and everything will be fin-"._ He then stepped onto another hidden switch and cause another trap to appear before him. Two rotating columns with spikes emerged from the walls and began to move on a pattern.

 ** _"Uh... Carry on, Prince?"._**

 _"...Shut up..."_ Replied the Prince as he reformulated his strategy. The columns had a tricky route, going up and down, each one at different speed. He just had to calculate the precise time the two traps took once they reached the ceiling. After some minutes of preparation he decided to make a run for it. _"Here goes nothing!"._ Thus he sprinted at full speed, easily avoiding the emerging spikes from the floor and performing an acrobatic jump between the two rotating pillars. He had reached the other side.

 ** _"What took you so long?"._**

 _"Very funny. You see, it is quite obnoxious to hear someone who does not know how hard this actually is! What...?!"._ As soon as the Prince passed through the door he found himself about to being chopped by an enormous blade. He immediately rolled to the side. Avoiding the attack only to encounter a bald, morbidly obese man, Klompa. _"So you must be another of the Vizier's servants, am I correct? Just how many of you are there?"_ Said the Prince while regaining his composure and pulling out his sword.

 _"And you must be the Prince of Persia, if I am not mistaken. Ha! You do not seem to be soo tough! In fact, I cannot see why so many are afraid of such a tiny, weak little man like you!"_ Exclaimed the fat man between chuckles.

 ** _"And that comes from the man who seems to have problem counting up to three"._**

 _"I may be small in comparison, but I am certain about the difference between our skills... To me, you mirror nothing but a fat child with a knife..."_ Mocked the Prince, who was actually trying to find a quick way to dispatch his new foe. The room in which both were had four pillars supporting the ceiling. The pillars were made of solid marble but were also thin and didn't seem able to resist any attack from that brute's blade. He now had a plan.

 _"You...cheeky bastard! I will cut you like a fish!"_ Roared the fat man before charging at his opponent without bothering to hold back. The Prince made a backflip and positioned himself next to one of the pillars.

 ** _"I see now... That is actually really clever, Prince. Do not waste precious stamina on him, let the environment do the killing!"._**

The Prince rolled away when Klompa attempted to cut him down. He instead wrecked the pillar. _"Get back here!"_ He yelled.

 _"Come on, filthy ball of fat. Try and catch me!"._ The Prince knew pretty well what kind of enemy he was dealing with. He just had to play with his simple mind until death comes to him. His opponent then charged at him, furiously swinging his blade, desperately trying to hit him. He managed to once again make him hit another pillar. _"(Two down!)"._

 ** _"The ceiling wont resist for long, Prince! Make sure to position him directly below!"._**

 _"You little pile of scum! What are trying to do?!"_ Said the man while trying to catch his breath. He was puzzled by the erratic actions of his opponent. _"Defend yourself!"_

 _"Not even close! Come on, you mean to tell me that you are done? Tired already?"._ One final blow, that was all he needed. Fortunately for him, the obese man furiously attacked in the direction he wanted him to. After one blow, the third pillar went down and pieces of the ceiling began to fall.

That was when Klompa finally understood the Prince's plan. _"I SEE NOW! That was a smart move, Prince! But I will not hit the last column. I will just keep attacking until you run out of space!"_ Exclaimed the man thinking that he had the situation under control.

 ** _"He really is a slow one! Now send him to his doom!"._**

 _"Sorry, but I do not need your assistance anymore!"_. With nothing more to say the Prince jumped and kicked Klompa in the chest as forcefully as he could, causing him to take a few steps back.

 _"Hahaha! You puny weakling! You cannot hurt me!"_ Yelled the bald man.

 ** _"Heads up, big guy!"._**

 _"Perhaps I cannot... But a ton of marble surely can!"_ Said the Prince before a enormous portion of the ceiling broke and fell directly on top of him, crushing him like an insect.

 ** _"Wonderful, Prince. I can already taste the glory of our victory!"._**

 _"You seem to be quite exited all of a sudden. May I ask why is that?"_ He said as he came across a rather large stairway.

 ** _"It is I who is in position of asking those questions. I reckon you have lost you fighting spirit, Prince! Your kingdom, your throne is begging for you to come and save it! But you limit yourself to think only about less important things"._**

The Prince remained silent and began to question about his "other self's" true intentions. _"... Anyway, we shall see where these stairs lead us to. If I remember correctly, the dungeon is in the third level of the palace's basement. We should be able to find it if we keep going down... Of course, finding the whereabouts of the captive men is the easy part"_ Said the Prince before walking into the stairs.

 ** _"Yes. That is the easy part, but the guards, traps and other hazards are the funny one!"._**

 _"I wish I could share you optimism. Every single thing that happens, every single drop of blood spilled by my people is MY fault... I just cannot figure out why the disgrace follows me wherever I go. Like the flees to a rotten corpse"._ The Prince's voice reflected guilt and anxiety for he knew that he was the only one to be blame for all the pain and suffering of his people, of his loved ones.

 ** _"Do you ever listen to yourself, Huh? Death is one result of your actions, there is no doubt about it, but spilling some blood in order to fix the disaster of the timeline is justified. A means to an end! You are just doing what you are supposed to do, Prince. The sword got you into this mess and it WILL take you out of it!"._**

 _MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN THE PALACE..._

Farah crouched and hid behind one of the many pieces of furniture that were adorning the room. She had killed many men to reach that place and she knew that Kaileena was close. _"(Wait for it...)"_ Thought the Indian Princess while a guard walked bear the table in which she was hiding. She was about to strike, however, another guard rushed into the room.

The exhausted man quickly began to report that someone had broken in. _"We have an intruder! Someone has killed eleven of our men!"._

The other guard almost jumped when he heard the amount of deaths the intruder had provoked. _"E-eleven?!... Call Klompa. We need him here right now!"_

 _"H-he was supposed to report twenty minutes ago, but he has not... I-I wonder if the Prince-"_ The cowardly man suddenly stopped when his partner pulled out his sword. _"What is happening?!"_ He asked terrified.

 _"We are not alone here... I heard something..."_ Said the more experienced guard. _"Behind that table, quick!"_ Yelled the man as he prepared to swing his sword. The other guard quickly followed him and pulled out an axe.

 _"(Damn it! So much for the stealth!)"._ Farah the made a fast maneuver and jumped on top of the senior guard. With a short slash, she opened his throat. A warm, crimson pool of blood didn't wait a single second and adorned the white floor. The other guard tried to hit her with his axe but the Princess quickly aimed her bow to his head. _"Where is she?! The woman, where is she?! Tell me!"_ Yelled Farah.

The man swallowed and made a pathetic attempt to look tough. _"Y-you can forget about it! I am not going to squeal! Otherwise, my master will erase me from this world and-"_ He then was interrupted by the sound of Farah's bow getting ready to shoot an arrow between his eyebrows. _"N-no! P-please!"_ He cried.

 _"Fine, lets see... Would you rather to obey your master and die here and now OR would you prefer to disobey his orders but live a little longer?"_ Said the princess as her fingers adjusted the arrow.

 _"Fine! I will tell you! Just do not point that thing at me!"_ Yelled the frightened man before taking a deep breath. _"The woman is locked down in the king's chamber. There are four guard guarding the entrance of the room, so you should be careful"_ He said.

Farah let go a brief laugh, turned back and began to walk towards the stairs which were at the end of the room. _"See? It was not so difficult after all! You should run away now, I have a really bad feeling about what is going to happen in the next few hours"_ Spoke Farah before stopping for an instant. _"Oh! And by the way, you ought to change your clothes since you got yourself wet... Farewell"_ With nothing more to say, the Princess left the room leaving behind the guard, who didn't waste any time and ran away.

MEANWHILE... AT THE PALACE'S BASEMENT...

 ** _"Finally! It took you forever, Prince!"._**

 _"Well, it is not my fault that this place has so much dead ends and fake doors! Anyway, here we are... Where all of the Persian royal guard lies locked... Lets do this!"_ Said the Prince before kicking the door and entering the room. Obviously all of the guards that were watching the cells quickly noticed him and prepared their swords, hammers and axes.

 _"Impossible! The Prince is here! Get him!"_ Yelled the guard who was in command of that section.

 _"He said the Prince?! The Prince has come to save us!"_ Cried one of the locked men.

 _"The Prince is here! He is going to free us!"_ Yelled another man. In that moment all the captive men began to cheer and scream.

Immediately four guards sprinted to him and attacked fiercely with their blades. Unfortunately for them, the Prince easily dodged their attacks and with a spinning move he rotated both of his blades performing a deadly slash which was more than enough to cut the four men's heads off. _"Why do you even bother?!"_ Taunted the confident warrior. Two more men then charged at him furiously. This time the Prince rapidly parried one of the guard's attacks, jumped on top of him and made an aerial slash, decapitating the man.

Scared, the other guard hesitated for a moment. _"W-what kind of devil are you?!"_ Screamed the man before swinging his axe in his direction, fruitlessly attempting to hit him. The Prince made an aerial maneuver once again, but this time he situated himself behind the guard. Thus, he began to strangle him very forcefully. _"My blade calls for every single one of you! You will pay for slaving my people!"_ Yelled the Prince before decapitating the poor guard.

 ** _"Magnificent!"._**

 _"You fiend! You cannot possibly think that because you seem superior to my men you are capable of killing me!"_ Said the arrogant commander, who was wielding a rather large sword.

 _"Shut up already! Let us see what you are made of"_ Said the Prince, already in his fighting stance.

 _"Die, BASTARD!"_ Were the man's final words before receiving a powerful slash from his opponent which caused him to split in half.

 _"I should hurry before someone else comes!"_ Thought out loud the Prince as he searched for the key in the mutilated corpse of the guard he had just killed. After a minute he finally manage to find a rather numerous set of keys. _"(For once, fortune is by my side)"._ The Prince immediately opened the nearest cell he could find and freed the Persian guard. _"Here, take this and free all of the other men. Once you are all free you must organize a strong offense and regain control over this district while also freeing the other captive soldiers!"_ He said as he handed over the keys to the man.

 _"I will follow your orders, my Prince! But what are you planning to do?! Do you wish some guards to aid you with-"_ Replied the royal guard before getting interrupted.

 _"You do not have to worry... The Vizier and his last generals are of no concern to you. I can handle them myself, it is my duty as the Prince of this kingdom"._ The Prince's mighty words immediately awoke the hope within all those captive men. _"One more thing. Has the general Dardan and a group of men been imprisoned in here?"_ Asked the worried Prince.

 _"What? General Dardan knows you? Sorry, my Prince, but I have not seen him"_ Replied the man.

 _"I see... Dardan and his men must have been attacked before arriving the palace. If he is not here with the soldiers then he is likely..."_ The Prince suddenly stopped, fearing the worst and feeling regrets about his friend's possible fate. _"Fine... Lets get moving!"_

 ** _"The more we wait, the more strength our enemy gains!"._**

 _"Hear this, my fellow persian warriors! Babylon is not lost yet! WE are going to expel the barbarian menace that has attacked us! You must always remember...the night is always darker just before dawn!"._ The Prince's speech instantly triggered the fighting spirit inside every single one of the men once again. The Persian royal guard cheered as their hero turned and continued with his task.

 ** _"Those words were far from perfect, yet you seem to have awaken something in them... What is the next step then?"._**

 _"If I remember correctly, these stairs will lead us to the upper level of the palace, which is where the balconies, royal chambers and bath are. I believe that is when we will find both the Vizier and Kaileena... Happy?"_ Replied the Prince before starting to run up the stairs. The end was near and he knew it pretty well. The main question was if he was capable of ending what he had started, if he was capable of undoing the error of his ways... _"(...Time only knows...)"_ He thought bitterly.

After seemingly endless minutes of running through the palace's main stairs, the Prince reached an end. Before him was a rectangular room with only one passageway, which was situated at the end of it. He walked silently across the place. The silence and serenity of the environment was more than enough for the Prince to realize that an ambush was about to take place in any second. _"Too quiet..."_ He said to himself before someone's blade was swung in his direction. The Prince immediately parried the attack with the Scorpion blade only to face his new opponent. He finally met the infamous bronze knight, the one who took Kaileena away singlehandedly. _"So it is you...the knight. We meet at last"_ He said as both began to carefully walk in circles, both of them in their stances. The Bronze knight didn't even bothered to reply and prepared his next attack.

The knight then raised his golden sword and with a quick, yet accurate move he partially slashed part of his opponent's torso before he could even react properly to his attacks. Luckily for the Prince, his leather armor protected him.

 _"You are good..."_ Admitted the Prince as began to think about the best strategy against him. His opponent was fully covered in armor. From toes to head, not a single portion of his body was uncovered by that yellow metal. With that said, he couldn't even try to read his opponent's next move based of his emotions because of his helmet. _"I may not be able to predict his next move, however, I should be able to dodge and move around better than him and at a greater speed since he is completely covered. My agility seems to be my best ally in this fight"._ He thought. Thus, he decided to make his next move by jumping to one of the knight's sides and trying to hit him. Much to the Prince's surprise, his opponent not only parried his attack but also counterattacked with a powerful kick which launched him into the air for a brief moment. With a fast maneuver, the Prince managed to land on his feet.

 ** _"Interesting... Despite being covered with pounds of metal, he was still able to counter your attack with apparently no problem. The kick was empowered by the weight of his armor... He uses both precise timing and his own weight as a means to caught you off guard, Prince!"._**

 _"(I must think faster than him! Perhaps using the environment as part of my attack will be effective against him...)"_ Thought the Price while slowly moving to the nearest wall. His opponent immediately followed him, always remaining in his fighting stance. Once both were close to the wall, he fainted with his sword in order to create a brief distraction. _"(Now is my chance!)"._ With a short leap, he used the wall to gain momentum and build strength for his upcoming attack. The bronze knight received a direct impact on his left leg, an impact forceful enough to shatter part of his armor. Despite being hit with such a strong swing, the Prince's opponent barely flinched and seemed to lack any pain.

 ** _"It appears that this one is a little stubborn"._**

Thus the knight triggered a series of violent swings with his golden sword. Each and every single one aiming to the Prince's core. The Prince barely dodged all of them and with a fast parry he channeled his opponent's force into his next move by slashing great part of his torso armor in half. This time he managed to cut his skin too as blood began to slowly make its way out of him. _"You seem to be a remarkable swordsman...it is a shame you serve the Vizier. I do not wish to prolong this conflict any further, so tell me where is the he! And Kaileena!"_

The armored man simply moved his head to one side and then to the other before playfully waving his sword back and forth.

 _"Looks like you are not going to cooperate with me... If you have made your decision, come on!"_ Cried the Prince just before charging at his mysterious opponent. The scorpion blade collided with his repeatedly as both commenced to attack at a rather high speed. The exchange of swings ended when both the Prince and his rival finally landed one of their attacks. At this point the Prince's deteriorated leather vest was not ready to resist a strong slash from the enemy. The Knight, on the other hand, received a powerful thrust directly to his shoulder. The impact was so damaging that, once again, part of his metallic armor was destroyed.

The Prince immediately prepared himself for another clash, but he eventually noticed how his opponent stopped and began to run towards the exit of the room. The man quickly followed him, however, a barrier of metal bars trapped him in the room when the knight activated a switch near the door. _"What are you doing?! Come back and fight me!"_ He yelled. The bronze knight silently turned and left. Suddenly the floor started to make noises and it began to crumble, leaving nothing but a black hole. The Prince fruitlessly tried to grab on to one of the columns before falling into that dark pit. _"No! I cannot! I need more...!"._

 ** _"As you wish!"._**

In that moment, the Prince began to suffer once again that burning sensation under his skin. He knew pretty damn well what was about to happen.

 ** _SO HOW WAS IT? FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW. BY THE WAY, THE END IS NEAR...SO BE PREPARED FOR A FEW SURPRISES!._**


	15. The King of Blades

**_THE KING OF BLADES_**

The Prince's transformation gave him a second chance and saved him from falling into the dark abyss. The daggertail hooked on a pipe that was near and allowed him to swing to the nearest platform. The Prince took a moment to analyze the depressive view that was being displayed around him. A dark, seemingly bottomless well was the first thing he could appreciate. The gloomy place was not completely dark, fortunately. Several candles with blue fire were adorning the walls. _"(This must be the palace's well... There is no water whatsoever...)"_ Thought the shadowy figure.

 ** _"Once again we are miles away from our goal! How many times do I have to remind you your mission?"._**

 _"What? You are now saying that falling was actually my fault?! If it were not for me-"_ Spoke the Prince before being interrupted again by his inner voice.

 ** _"What would have happened?! What, huh? Do not forget that I was the one responsible for saving your life plenty of times!"._**

 _"Enough! All you know to do is mock me and urge me around! Besides, you seem to ignore the fact that reclaiming my throne is the least of my worries now! There is-"_ Replied the Prince as he began to wall run across the place, looking for a way out. He then reached a cave and adventures himself in.

 ** _"Who?! Kaileena? Farah? I believe it is about time for you to realize their true nature, Prince"._**

 _"What are you trying to say?"_ He asked.

 ** _"What I am trying to say is that perhaps saving Kaileena and finding Farah was a mistake! The two of them serve only one purpose and that is to waste your precious time!"._**

 _"you know nothing about me! You do not know me at all! Shut you mouth for once and let me fix this mess I am responsible for! Once I finish, we will see what to do with you"_ Said the Prince as he sprinted across that dark and deserted maze he was into. _"(What?! Why I began to feel so weak?! My strength, it seems to be fading little by little...water...the transformation!)"_ He thought as he roamed the place looking for water. Unfortunately for him, there was not even a drop of water in that dry place.

 ** _"I waste so much time trying to warn you about acting with the convictions of an impulsive child! Delude yourself of thinking that what you truly desire is Kaileena's safety or Farah's... But in the end you will realize how deep you are diving into this pool of nonsense and insanity that you have created for yourself, Prince"._**

 _"Silence! You speak as if you were the holder of the truth! As if you had noble intentions but in reality you just seek to accomplish your own personal goals, whatever they are! It may be foolish to keep caring about others to your eyes... However, you have no clue whatsoever about what life is like!"_ Replied the Prince as he reached a great entrance which led to another series of hallways and dark passages. The golden marks on his coal skin gradually began to morph into a shade of orange.

 ** _"You disrespectful bast-"._**

 _"I have had enough of your voice! Be quiet! Let me put an end to this!"_ He said before stopping for a brief moment to catch his breath. _"Why I am growing weaker...! I feel like-"_ He was then interrupted.

 ** _"Uh-oh... I forgot to tell you that multiplying your strength, flexibility and agility comes with a price... Haha! Well I guess you do not mind right now"._**

 _"I just need some water"_ Said the transformed Prince as he wall ran over a near pit. _"...There must be water somewhere!"._

 ** _"Stop for a moment and look at your surroundings, Prince... Do you see water? Can you feel its moist embrace? Can you feel its cold and refreshing taste in your throat? I guess not! I believe that the Vizier somehow drained this hole! But nevermind that because you are such a skilled and intelligent warrior who is not afraid of being as dry as the rocks of a desert, haha! No, you should be reformulating what you have just about me"._**

The now exhausted Prince finally reached the end of the hallway and encounter a great door before him. A platform was near it, he didn't waste any time and stepped on it. The old door opened slowly revealing shine of white light. _"What is this?"_ Wondered the man as he approached to the source of light only to discover a sword, a sword he knew pretty well. _"This is...! My father's sword! What is it doing here?"_ Said the Prince before picking it up and illuminating his way through that dark room. Eventually he caught sight of a silhouette lying on the floor. Immediately he recognized him. _"FATHER!"_ Cried the devastated man as he hugged King Sharaman's dead body. _"What have I done... All this is my fault! I brought pain and death to my loved ones and just because of my own selfish reasons!"._

 ** _"Oh, Come on now! After all you have been through you still had hope to find him alive?! Haha! Now tell me, Prince. What is next? You are going to gather enough sands to rewind the time once again? How about going back to the island of time and look for the mask? Of course you will also have the opportunity to save a lady in distress!"._**

The broken Prince remained silent and felt the need to cry after so many years of suffering. _"...No..."._

 ** _"Are you going to cry now? Give me a break! All you do is cry about how merciless and ruthless life is with you! You shield behind strong emotions such as anger, rage or desperation because you lack what it takes to be the greatest warrior! You have-"._**

 _"You are right! I was weak...that is why I always ran from my problems instead of facing them like a man! I behaved like a little boy, avoiding what I truly had to do and by doing that I brought the destruction to this land! I was selfish...but not anymore..."._ In that moment tears travelled from the Prince's yellow glowing eyes to his chin and by what was apparently a miracle, his body went back to normal.

 ** _"I-Impossible! There is no enough water to do that! How did you-"._**

 _"Quiet! You have no control over me now! Return to the disgusting pit from where you came and never come back!"_ Yelled the Prince and there was no response. That inner voice, that hissing voice that whispered to his ear and prevented him from acting following his heart was gone and he could feel how a great weight was removed from his shoulders. _"Father...forgive me... I will save Babylon! I promise!"_ He said before putting his father's sword on his back and leaving the room without looking back, knowing that it was time to end this once and for all.

MEANWHILE...

Farah had finally reached the king's personal chambers. Two men where guarding the entrance. _"(This has to be it)"_ She thought as she crouched behind some furniture near the door. At this point she was already almost out of arrows to shoot. She had to think in a quick and safe way to handle that tricky situation. _"(Four arrows are more than enough for me. I just do not seek any unnecessary attention... I need two head shots at the same time...)"._ Almost instantly, memories of Farah's childhood were triggered within his mind. More specifically she recalled one occasion in which his father was teaching her how to use the bow for the first time. In that moment two pigeons were freed from their cages and desperately began to fly away. Seeing the speed the pigeons had, Farah's father realized that the only way to hit both birds was to shoot two arrows at the same time... It worked. _"(Here goes nothing!)"_ Thought the Indian princess as she collocated two arrows on her bow. After some tries she finally managed to create the right angle between the projectiles.

 _"W-what?! Get h-!"_ Was all that one of the guards could say before receiving an arrow directly to the right eye. His partner suffered the same fate and died when the arrow pierced his skull.

Thus, Farah walked cautiously to the door and opened it. Kaileena was lying on a bed near the center of the room. She quickly approached her and tried to wake her up without making too much noise. _"Kaileena? Wake up! Come on, snap out of it!"_ Said the princess before checking if she was still alive. She was still breathing and there were no sings of injuries or wounds. _"What on earth is happening here?!"._

 _MEANWHILE..._

The Prince found himself back to the higher levels of the palace and was quickly running his way to the top of the building, where he knew the Vizier was waiting. _"If he wants to absorb the power of the sands he is going to need plenty of room! I just need to get there in time before something happens!"_ The man said to himself before reaching one of the beautiful gardens the palace had. _"If I remember correctly, this gardens lead to the balcony of the palace... Wha the...?!"_ The Prince stopped abruptly when he spotted a familiar silhouette near the other end of the garden.

 _"Welcome back, Prince. I was certain that you would be able to survive all those tests..."_ Said the man before him after turning around to meet the Prince's blue eyes.

 _"Dardan...! I thought you and your men were-"_ Exclaimed the shocked man before Dardan took the word.

 _"Dead? You do not seem as surprised as I thought. After all we already met before... Now it is time for the rematch, Prince"_ Replied the general without changing his serious expression. _"You seem to have passed the test I put you through before, fascinating... I was actually expecting for you to die in that rotten hole..."._

 _"You...are the knight! It was you the one who took Kaileena away! Since when were you been working for the Vizier?!"_ He asked while taking a few steps forward.

 _"Lets just say that he requested my services a few months ago. I accepted with one condition. However, the old man almost killed you and spoil all the fun... Luckily for me, you are still alive and strong"_ Explained Dardan as his eyes exanimated the Prince's body to see how many injuries he had. _"My most sincere apology for cutting you in that occasion, Prince. You see, I got carried away. I did not wish to harm you that bad, but one thing led to another and...well"._

 _"Now it all makes sense... The way you disappeared and reappeared throughout the city without anyone noticing you. As the Bronze Knight you was protected from any suspicion... When we met at the coliseum you showed up to aid the Vizier but for some reason you decided to stick to your alter-ego"_ Spoke the Prince. Dardan just nodded and smirked. _"You told Mahasti where I was at and while I was dealing with her you appeared and attacked Farah and Kaileena!"._

 _"Very clever, Prince. You seem to catch up quick"_ Replied the Persian general.

 _"Why? Why would you do this? Why would you betray your own people?!"_ Exclaimed the puzzled man.

 _"Do not get me wrong. I never sought the death and betrayal of your father or Babylon's fall... No, I just needed to face you, the man who was known all across this land as the strongest and most skilled warrior that has ever walked on this land"_ Said the traitor after taking some steps towards some flowers that were nearby. After smelling its delicious scent he sighed.

 _"I still do not follow"_ Answered the Prince.

Dardan took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the Prince. _"About twenty years ago I was nothing but a simple child who was used to living the peaceful life of a farmer. My father was the only relative that I had. He taught me what was most important in life... Those first years of my life I was convinced that I had achieved happiness... But I was wrong"._ Then Dardan made a brief pause and stared at the clouds in the sky. _"One day some men entered to my home and ruthlessly slaughtered the only person I had ever cared about... His terrified expression will always be engraved in the deepest corner of my mind. It was not until my father was killed that I realized how life really was, what actually matters...strength, that is what truly counts in this cruel life"._

 _"So you want to kill me in order to prove that you are the strongest? Is that it?"_ Said the Prince.

 _"Of course! I will not find peace in my life until I demonstrate that I am the strongest! That is the only way to achieve peace in this ruthless world!"_ Yelled Dardan as he pulled out his golden sword. _"I can feel it... My time has come! I shall be the next living legend! I will bask in the glory!"_

 _"Is that it? To me, you are use those words, that desire of becoming the strongest as a shield to protect you from all the cruelty you have experienced in your life... But in reality you are just someone who cannot cope with something that could not be avoided. The death of your father!"_ The Prince's sharp words pierced Dardan's carcass and reached his heart. _"You wear all the disgraces of your life like a medal, something that proves that you actually mean something in this life. Being strong is nothing but a selfish-"_

 _"Silence...!"_ Exclaimed the Persian general.

 _"You became an elite member of the world's greatest empire, however, that was not enough for you. No, you still had that emptiness within your soul! After your father died you lost all faith in mankind and protected yourself behind fake emotions and deceptive smiles! But in the end you are nothing but an empty carcass a shadow of someone else!"_ Said the Prince. His words had reached Dardan's true nature and exposed it.

 _"SHUT UP!"_ Cried Dardan with tears in his eyes. _"Prince! Last time I did not fight seriously... This time I will not hold back!"_ Said the general with a sudden confidence within his voice.

 _"You better not... Otherwise I will probably kill you by accident, Dardan!"_ Answered the Prince, knowing that he was about to experience one of the hardest battles he had ever been into. _"You seem to be just another insecure young man... I just have to show you the way"._

 _"You have to show me the way, huh? Tell me, what makes you think it will be that easy...?"_ Spoke the man as he slowly pulled out another sword from his back sheath. However, it was not an ordinary sword. In fact, the Prince knew it pretty well... The water sword.

The Prince's eyes opened like two full moons when he spotted the water sword. _"You...!"_ Exclaimed the Prince.

 _"You like it? I hope you do not mind if I keep this magnificent piece of steel as a souvenir. After all, you already have two swords"_ Said Dardan as his eyes roamed the Prince's swords. The light sword immediately caught his attention. _"I am willing to guess that you are in possession of king Sharman's unique sword. I once heard that nobody lived enough to talk about how deadly and accurate that blade was... This is an excellent opportunity for me to test my skills-"_ Dardan was abruptly interrupted when the Prince rushed in and began to attack him with both of his blades. The Persian general realized that he was caught out of guard and quickly replied to the avalanche of strikes he was receiving. However, the Prince could find the perfect spot and with the right timing he hit him in the jaw with the scorpion blade's grip. He retreated backwards and let out a brief grunt of pain as blood began to slip through his teeth. _"Not bad, Prince"_ He said arrogantly while spitting some blood.

 _"Sorry about that, I just saw an opportunity that I could hardly waste... Listen, I have more important matters to attend to. So from now on I suggest you to fight seriously! I will not allow you to waste anymore of my time!"_ Yelled the Prince.

 _"Is that so? My apologies, Prince. But I just thought that we could use some warm up... Then again, If you are in such a hurry, well, I will just have to chop you down!"_ Exclaimed the general as he launched himself to the air. Much to the Prince's surprise, he performed a series of flips in mid air before landing behind the Prince and slashing his back with the water sword. His opponent didn't wait a single second and briefly twitched in pain. _"How does it feel, Prince? I bet this is the first time someone cuts you with your own sword"_ Mocked Dardan while taking a few steps backwards.

 _"As I said before, Dardan... You are good. However, one thing I noticed with you attack was the intensity of it. The sword you are handling is not like any other...the still is thick and heavy, therefore your strikes lack proper control because of the physical demand having that sword means!"._ Thus the Prince triggered a series of powerful yet fast swings towards his opponent hoping to discover his weak spot. Dardan quickly protected himself from his blade. Sparks immediately appeared when their swords clashed. _"As I thought, you are quite strong. I am actually impressed!"._

 _"Hehe! I am grateful for your kind words but you are nothing but an obstacle in my way to the top, Prince!"_ Replied Dardan as he forcefully pushed with all his weight against the Prince. Eventually he won the struggle and seemed to had left the Prince open to any sort of attack. _"Die..."_ He said as he lifted the water sword and prepared his next blow. Unfortunately for him, the Prince made a quick maneuver instants before he could connect with his attack. _"Wha...?!"_ Was all Dardan could manage to say before receiving a powerful slash on his torso. He didn't had the armor this time and the cut was certainly deep. _"H-how did you?!"_ Blabbed the injured man before losing his balance and stumbling across the place.

 _"I told you before, you are not the right person to handle that sword!"_ Replied the Prince.

 _"Now you are saying that I am not good enough for you?! This battle has just begun, Prince!"_ Yelled Dardan in pain as he got up. _"It is you who is not meant for this sword! Now I will show you how I overcame hundreds of men!"._ The now wounded man then rushed towards the Prince performing several feints.

 _"(Damn! If I do not know when he is going to attack next I will have to change my strategy... Now!)"._ In that moment the Prince attempted to parry one of Dardan's slashes but the latter quickly retreated and performed a thrust directly to his chest. The Prince barely dodged it and counterattacked the best way he could by kicking his opponents left hand and sending his golden sword into the air. Both warriors remained quiet then and didn't even flinch until the Prince threw away the scorpion blade. _"Now it is fair game"._

 _"What are you doing?!"_ Exclaimed Dardan.

 _"If I carried on with this fight while possessing two swords it would be unfair"_ Answered the Prince who was now back on his fighting stance.

 _"DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME, PRINCE!"_ Cried the man as he once again charged at his enemy. The injury on his chest was slowing him down, let alone the fact that the sword he was wielding was becoming harder and harder to handle. Thus he attacked, knowing that the Prince already had the upper hand on that battle. His opponent easily parried every single one of his swings and answered with a powerful side kick to his liver. Dardan quickly fell on his knees and with both hands on his stomach he started to vomit. _"Y-you think that you can win this battle without killing me, Prince?! You have another thing coming!"_ Yelled the falls warrior as he rolled backwards and regain his composure. _"I have not done this in a while... With this next move I will finish you instantly!"._

 _"I see... So you want a direct contest of skill, huh? Fine, if that is what it takes for me to show you the way..."_ Said the Prince with the point of his sword aiming to his opponent. _"(He is going to make an aerial strike, I am certain about that. However, despite knowing the trajectory of his attack I will probably get hit anyways... It will be a leap of faith for both of us!)"_ Thought the Prince, knowing that the following move was the final.

Thus Dardan launched himself into the air once again but this time he performed several flips _"PRINCE!"_ Cried the man.

 _"DARDAN!"_ Replied the Prince while jumping and spinning while waving his blade to his opponent's direction. Pieces of metal and leather amor fell to the floor, blood was also spilled as a result of the clash. Both warriors fell to the ground forcefully and remained in silence.

 _"Am... I... Been... Defeated...?"_ Whispered Dardan exhausted.

Then with an incredibly amount of effort, the Prince got back on his feet. He then walked with difficulty across the garden until he reached the downed warrior. _"All your life you sought nothing but power... You always wished to test your skill against me since we first met... But now it is time to start a new life, Dardan, a life without so much pain, suffering and sadness... That is my gift to you..."_ Calmly said the Prince as he offered Dardan his hand.

 _"A chance to live a normal life... I accept"_ He responded and grabbed his hand. _"Prince, you are injured! Your arm!"_ Exclaimed the man as he took a better look at his new friend's right arm. As a result of such violent fight, the Prince had received a rather alarming cut on his arm. _"Here cover your wound with this and add some pressure!"_ He said as he ripped part of his blue uniform. The Prince did as he said and patched his wound.

 _"Oh, that is so heartwarming! Nevertheless..."_ Said a silhouette from the other side of the garden. Both men turned only to meet the Vizier, who was aiming his staff at them. _"What a pity... I wish I had not reached this point, Dardan. But some things are unavoidable... Now, out of sight!"._ Thus he shot an energy blast from his shaft directly to the two men.

 _"Prince! Look out!"_ Warned Dardan before pushing the Prince away and receiving the blast himself. Dardan was launched several feet into the air and finally fell upside down. He didn't move anymore.

 _"Dardan!"_ Yelled the Prince as he ran towards his motionless friend.

 _"Worthless piece of garbage! Do not waste time in that failure, Prince"_ Coldly said the Vizier as he walked away.

After checking if Dardan was still breathing the Prince felt a great relief when he realized that his friend was still alive. However, he was severely wounded and he had lost consciousness. _"Do not worry, I will finish this!"_ Said the Prince as he started to run after the Vizier. _"(Farah... Kaileena... Just where are you)"._

 ** _SO? THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE THE FINAL ONE. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR HEROES? WHAT CHALLEGES ARE WAITING FOR THE PRINCE AT THE END OF HIS JOURNEY? STAY TUNED!_**


	16. Dark Sand

**_DARK SAND_**

The enraged Prince picked up the water sword and ran after the Vizier through the stairs and finally cornered him when both reached the very top of the palace. They were in large circular balcony which allowed them to see the whole city. _"There is nowhere to run, old man!"_ Said the Prince, wielding a sword in each hand.

 _"You arrogant has no boundaries! It is you who is done running!"_ Replied Zurvan as he aimed his staff to the Prince.

 _"No. The war you unleashed, the disease you unleashed on this land is over! The Babylonian royal army is now free and without your generals and subordinates you cannot prevent us from winning back the city!"_ Said the Prince as he prepared himself for the fight. The battle with Dardan had greatly reduced his stamina, however, he was determined to win. Just one final push and he would save Babylon. _"You know you are finished, Zurvan... Now face me!"._

 _"You...! Do not bask in the glory just yet, Prince! The power of the sands is all I need to take over this entire realm! After I retrieve the dagger from your dead body I will become a true god!"_ Exclaimed the Vizier as he multiplied himself into four afterimages of himself. _"Do not underestimate the power of my knowledge!"._

 _"What is this? If you are so afraid to fight yourself then it cannot be helped, old man!"._ The Prince found himself surrounded by the four reflections of his enemy. This time he found it impossible to figure out which of the afterimages was shielding the Vizier, so he decided to attack and take down one by one.

 _"Stupid fool! You shall pay for your foolishness as your father did!"_ Spoke the many copies of Zurvan as the charged at the Prince wielding their staffs. Much to his surprise, his opponent easily dodged his attacks and countered them with a powerful spinning slash with the water sword. Immediately, one afterimage faded. All of the three remaining copies stepped back astonished by what just happened. _"H-how can this be! You cannot possibly surpass the powers of this relic! How can a foolish mortal surpass my powers?!"._

 _"You speak about foolishness and ignorance when the one who is guilty of those 'crimes' is you!"_ Said the confident Prince, knowing that his rival's lust for power would ultimately lead to his own demise.

 _"Shut your mouth, insolent!"_ Said the Vizier. _"It is time for you to vanish from this world! So long, Prince!"_ Cried the old man images simultaneously as they aimed their staffs and shot three energy blasts to the Prince. Unfortunately for him, the Prince somehow made those projectiles disappear before him. _"I-impossible! How can this be!"_ Yelled Zurvan almost in despair.

 _"I knew it would work! The dagger absorbed all of your energy and now I shall use it against you!"_ Exclaimed the Prince before slowing down the time, preventing the Vizier from moving freely. Thus, the warrior charged at the nearest afterimage and slashed it making it disappear. _"Two left! You are running out of places to hide, old man!"_ Said the man as looked at the two remaining images that were desperately trying to move at their will. The Prince then approached to the next one and with a forceful thrust he pierced the image. However, something was different. This time the image of the Vizier didn't vanish, instead it began to bleed. _"Got you..."_ Said the Prince before the effects of the dagger reached its limit.

The remaining image faded as the Vizier collapsed on a pool of blood. _"Y-you killed me, it seems... You think you are serving a greater good by ensuring this kingdom's existence and p-preventing it from... vanishing from the history... Prince?!"_ Managed Zurvan while spitting blood. The Prince didn't even change his cold expression while hearing those words. _"...Y-you... You think that I am a monster that does not deserve compassion just because I cause the death of some miserable beings... L-let me tell you something, Prince... Your realm... Sharaman's mighty empire is the g-greatest evil of our time... Conquering realm after realm... Submitting thousands of people under your flag... I-I shall become the god of the sands! Only them I will restore the order in this land, Prince! And it does not matter at all if I have to spill some blood in order to achieve my ultimate goal...!"._ The agonizing old man was about to continue with his speech but the Prince quickly pierced his neck with his father's sword, silencing him forever.

 _"No, no good can come out of such selfish intentions... I will restore the balance in this realm and land... Not for me, but for the people of this entire kingdom as well!"_ Said the Prince to his downed enemy as he felt how his journey had finally come to an end. _"(The royal army must have already freed the imprisoned soldiers... It is all over- what?!)"_ The man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an almost unbearable pain located in the arm with the daggertail incrusted. He then could feel how his body expulsed intense waves of heat. _"...What the..?!"_ Said the Prince as a cloud of black mist materialized before him. After some instants, the could began to adopt the shape of a person... The shape of something the Prince knew pretty well at that point. Dark, burnt clothes, black boots, black skin adorned by shining golden inscriptions and incandescent, golden eyes.

 ** _"All that is yours is rightfully mine! And this belongs to me..."_** Said the dark figure as he forcefully grabbed the chain attached to the Prince's arm and extracted it, causing him fall down due to the immense pain. The chain then quickly fused with its new wielder's right arm.

 _"Y-you...! How can this be... I-I thought that-"_ Managed the Prince as he tried to get up.

 ** _"What did you expect? That when you kill the Vizier I would magically disappear? All your hatred accumulated over the years, all your lust for blood and power gave me form and strengthen my whole being beyond your comprehension. As a result, well, why not showing you instead?"_** After finishing his speech the Dark Prince charged at him with lighting speed, such was the case that the man could barely perceive his move.

The Prince was punched in the abdomen viciously by his shadow, the pain and damage provoked almost left him unconscious, his vision faded for a second. Immediately the Shadow warrior forcefully grabbed him neck lifted him with no effort whatsoever.

 ** _"You do not deserve what you have been given, Prince. This whole kingdom needs the strongest of the strong to lead it! I will do it justice and so it shall be mine!"_** _._ The Dark Prince took a moment to enjoy the Prince's painful expression and then continued. **_"With the ability to control time itself you could've been the greatest King the world has ever known, what am I saying? Y_** ** _ou could've been a god! Think of the wars you could have fought, the monuments you could have erected in you honor, the women you could have gotten! The man, the mortal who did the impossible, the man who bested the empress of time, the man who defeated an unstoppable entity... What a waste. You have failed me, Prince, you became soft and sympathetic. My attempts to guide you to the glory fell on deaf ears. It was I who awoke the warrior within you, I can put him back to sleep again, permanently, and then finally reclaim what is mine!"._**

 _"Y-you are...worthless...miserable shadow...you deserve nothing!"_ Managed the Prince who was desperately struggling to breath. His opponent then tossed him aside. As soon as he regained his breath he vomited blood and arched his back in pain.

 ** _"I deserve nothing? Have I not earn it? You think you would be here if not for me? You think you would had reached the island of time, bested the Dahaka and killed that old man if it weren't for me? How many times did I saved you? How many times did I tell you how to regain advantage in the battlefield? How many times did I take down you enemies, remind you to keep focused on your mission? When all you did was to cry over your father and Kaileena and Farah, crying about how cruel and unfair life is with you, at how everything bad always happens to you! Boohoo Prince"_**

 _"You... You are nothing but a shadow, an illusion! You have no reason to exist!"_ Yelled the Prince as he got up still experiencing some pain.

 ** _"All those people and things you know and love...I gave them all to you...and I can make them all disappear just as fast as you smash a fly...and you want to know what the sad part is? There is absolutely nothing you can do about it"_** Said the Dark Prince as he started to swing the daggertail in circles above his head.

Enraged, the prince drew his sword and set out to attack. But his blade did not meet the dark flesh of his adversary, it clashed with his chain, provoking a great spark. A low kick from his counterpart sent him back to the ground. _"Your words are as empty as your heart, if you even have one. You selfish bastard!"._

 ** _"If I am selfish, Prince, it is because YOU are, if I am ruthless and reckless and lacking in morals it is because YOU are, if I desperately seek the power of the world's greatest empire, if I only see both Kaileena and Farah as mere lusty objects it is because YOU do so too. Open your eyes, I didn't spin myself from out of the ether, I wasn't brought to life by some mad Vizier nor I wasn't created by a miracle in the form of sand. I AM YOU"_** He said as the Prince stood up. The gloominess engraved on his face was becoming more and more evident as his nemesis kept speaking. ** _"I am going to give you one final chance, one final opportunity for you to turn all your wishes, all your dreams into a reality. Trust me, I know you more than anyone else... Now set down that sword...embrace me"._**

Instead of using his tongue, the Prince thought his steel was more suitable to answer with. The blade didn't even landed, this time a black cloud was all he got in exchange. _"Show yourself! Face me!"._

 ** _"So this is how it's going to be, huh? You want me dead? You want to smash me into pieces, chop me like you did with all of your other enemies? Haha! Swing that sword, Prince! We have seen how well it worked when your father was in danger or when your kingdom got invaded or, why not, when you tried to save you 'poor' brother, just to name a few things"_** The shadowy warrior materialized himself right behind the Prince and set out to strangle him. His chain surrounded his neck, preventing him to breathe properly and slowly slashing his skin. He wasn't going to last long if things remained like that. **_"Before ending with the gigantic failure you refer to as 'Your life' let me explain you the beauty of my plan. Firstly, I wanted to takeover your fathers kingdom, but wasn't going to wait until he died naturally...I just needed to get rid of him, but that supposed too many difficulties. Luckily, for me, the invasion made by the Vizier took care of him and his army, nobody would dare to question us...but then you squandered it, Prince...however, thanks to your weakness an ever better plan presented itself. I said, why not keeping the throne for myself? Get rid of the only thing that keeps me from achieving my objectives and reclaim my throne, MY own kingdom? Just think about i-"_** A hit directly to the nose performed by the back of the Prince's head prevented him from finishing, but more important, it made him loosen his grip just enough for his human counterpart to escape from that deadly lock.

 _"You are mad! Your whole being is just a poor afterimage of my corruption!"_ He Screamed as his sword furiously clashed with that dark steel, again and again. It was then when his dark alter-ego became even more aggressive. Everytime the Prince got back up and resumed the fight he seemed to alarmingly gain enthusiasm and strength as he was about to find out. The great exchange of attacks led to an even greater amount of opportunities, but who was going to be the first to take advantage of them?.

 _"(Now!)"_ Thought the Prince when his enemy appeared to have made a mistake.

 ** _"You fool!"_** Incredibly, the Dark Prince was making fake moves in order to lure his opponent into a vulnerable position. It worked.

Before he could even react, a rather painful slash on his back followed by another cut all across his right arm almost left him breathless. He fell on his knees, the pain was unbearable. _"(It burns!)"._

 ** _"Oh, Prince...you mock my intelligence. Don't you remember? Faster, stronger...smarter...DOES THAT RING ANY BELL?!"_** He kicked the man strongly, hard enough to send him flying across the arena. **_"You know, Prince? I have made up my mind about what a powerful King like me should do with both an empress and a princess. Don't worry, I won't going to let anyone lay a hand on them...with the exception of me, of course. Those two beauties doesn't appear often in life, you know? Just the two of them will conform my whole harem, with that said you can imagine what will happen, don't you? Hehe...I will use them over and over until they lose all what makes them beautiful. They won't be more than a rotten piece of meat once I have finished with them..."_**

 _"You are out of guard if you can say that!"_ Said a voice from the other side of the balcony.

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED..._**

 ** _WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE PRINCE? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO BABYLON, KAILEENA AND FARAH? WELL STAY TUNED BECAUSE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE FINALE OF THIS STORY!_**


	17. The end of the journey

**_THE END OF THE JOURNEY..._**

 _"You are out of guard if you can say that!"_ Was all that the Dark Prince could hear before receiving an arrow directly to the back of his head. He lost his balance for an instant but quickly regained his composure after removing the arrow. A black, thick liquid began to drop from his wound for some seconds before it healed. **_"What do we have here...?"_** He said as he looked over his shoulder only to meet two women he knew pretty well. Kaileena and Farah were standing before him.

 _"K-Kaileena! Farah!"_ Said the downed Prince in relief. He was covered by wounds and cuts but he could feel how he regained his fighting spirit after seeing his empress alive and well. However, before he could do anything the Dark Prince stomped on his stomach very forcefully.

 ** _"Be quiet, Prince. You see, we are in presence of two lovely ladies!"_** Said the Dark warrior before taking the dagger of time from him. The Prince could hardly prevent him from doing so due to the immense pain on his ribs. **_"I believe this is my property"_** He said as he put the dagger on his right boot.

 _"Just what in the world are you? Monster, identify yourself!"_ Said the empress after taking a good look at the dark warrior.

 ** _"Oh, my dear, beautiful Kaileena... That is a rude thing to say to your beloved Prince and rightful ruler of this empire!"_** Answered the Dark Prince while turning around with a devious smile engraved on his black face. **_"I am the stronger half of the Prince! All his dreams and aspirations merged into one mighty and flawless being!"_**.

 _"So you was born by the sands infecting the Prince? Answer!"_ Exclaimed Farah, demanding a response.

The shadow warrior laughed briefly and after a short silence he replied. **_"I told you before, I am the personification of the Prince's strengths. However, if you wish to have an answer about my origins you could say that I am the result of the Prince's selfish and cruel intentions colliding with the empress's powers after they spent so many nights together..."_** Said the dark figure as it took a few steps towards them. In response, both stepped back. **_"What is the matter, my empress? You should be delighted to learn about my existence! Such a perfect and powerful being... At the very least you should kneel before your new king and lord!"._**

 _"Now it all makes sense... You were the one whispering to the Prince's ear all this time!"_ Said Kaileena as he drew her blades in his direction. The Dark Prince just smiled and threw her a kiss.

 _"Enough! I will deal with you myself!"_ Spoke Farah while aiming her bow to his head.

 ** _"Come on now! You actually believe you can? Do not make me laugh!"_** Said the dark warrior arrogantly.

 _"Farah, no!"_ Said the Prince, knowing how powerful their foe actually was.

 _"No Farah! This...thing is no ordinary warrior... I can perceive a great energy within him. You better stay back and leave this to me"_ Said the empress as she took a couple of steps forward.

 _"B-but...!"_ Replied the Indian princess.

 _"Kaileena..."_ Said the Prince, who was still suffering enough pain to prevent him from getting up.

 ** _"So you want to test your luck with me, huh? Well, let me tell you something... I am not as kind as the Prince..."_** Said the Dark Prince while holding his chain with both of his hands. The two then moved to the center of the balcony and remained quiet. His incandescent eyes staring directly at her beautiful green eyes, seeking to know what sort of move she was going to perform against him. Both were completely lacking any movement until the empress decided to make the first move and teleported next to him. She then attempted to slash him with her right blade but he easily parried it with the dagger tail. **_"Too easy!"_** Mocked the Dark Prince as he rolled to her side and made a small cut on her thigh. Kaileena quickly reacted and swung both of her blades at his direction, he managed to parry one blade, however, he couldn't prevent the second from landing on his shoulder. His wound was definitely more alarming than hers, nevertheless, that didn't suppose any trouble for him as he immediately regenerated. **_"Not bad, not bad at all, empress!"_** He recognized before performing a forceful counterattack with his chain. His string penetrated Kaileena's defenses and severely damaged her belly. She retreated and twitched in pain as blood began to come out of her wounds. **_"Sorry if I was too... rough, but I thought you liked it that way..."._**

 _"Kaileena!"_ Screamed both the Prince and Farah when they saw the blood.

 _"...You call yourself a perfect being despite being extremely arrogant!"_ Spoke the empress to his puzzled adversary before teleporting once again next to him. Her opponent quickly tried to attack her but, much to his surprise, she immediately vanished in mid air again. Kaileena then reappeared behind him and this time there was nothing the Dark warrior could do to avoid her attacks. _"What are you looking at?!"_ Mocked the empress. Her opponent looked over his shoulder with his golden eyes widely open before receiving ten powerful slashes from her directly on his back. Her attacks were powerful enough to launch him into the air for a brief time. The Dark Prince fell a few meters away and a pool of black liquid immediately appeared below him. Kaileena stopped a moment to catch her breath and then went back to her guard.

 _"You did it!"_ Said Farah cheerfully before noticing that their enemy was still moving.

 _"Impossible! Nobody can endure such powerful attacks!"_ Said the Prince.

 ** _"That...was...impressive...Kaileena..."_** Spoke the Dark Prince as he reincorporated himself and started to walk towards her as if he was completely recovered from the brutal onslaught he had just suffered. **_"You certainly deserve an applause! I never actually thought someone would be able to harm me in that way... However, this flawless body of mine can recover from any type of damage in seconds... And while you waste your precious stamina fruitlessly, I will continue to regenerate again and again!"_**

 _"(What is this? The shining golden marks on his body... They seem to have lost some of its color... But just a little... What could that mean?)"_ Thought the Prince as he tried to get up once again, this time managing to do so. _"Kaileena, I-"_ Said the Prince before being interrupted by his lover.

 _"Stay out of this, Prince! I can handle him!"_ Spoke the empress before preparing herself for the second round.

 ** _"Here goes!"_** Said the Dark Prince before fading into a cloud of black mist and moving at Kaileena's side. He then materialized himself back and attempted to cut her throat. Unfortunately for him, she reacted fast enough to block his chain with both of her swords. Both then began to struggle back and forth, trying to pass through each others defenses. **_"To think that I though that my greatest challenge would be the Prince, how naive I actually was! It is you who represents my biggest obstacle, Kaileena!"_** Said the Dark warrior as he gradually began to gain more and more ground. Kaileena knew she was not going to last long and could feel how strong he actually was. **_"What a shame. I will not lie, I always wanted to taste you beautiful body... But I guess that some things are unavoidable...I cannot afford to let you live knowing how dangerous you can be!"_** He spoke before his chain finally managed to penetrate her guard and barely cut her pale skin. Only one last push was needed and he would cut her throat wide open. **_"What a pity...empress..."_** _._

Kaileena closed her eyes and waited for the worst. But fortunately her attacker suddenly hesitated when two blades pierced his torso from behind. _"Keep your filthy hands off her you rotten son of bitch!"_ Exclaimed the Prince before kicking his opponent away.

 _"Prince! I told you I-"_ Was all the empress could say before the Prince interrupted her.

 _"You are my woman... I cannot afford to lose you again, Kaileena"_ Said the Prince while helping her to regain her composure. _"We must work together, we cannot defeat him if we fight separately!"_ He exclaimed.

 _"At last you say that, Prince! Now lets end this!"_ Said Farah as she stepped closer.

 ** _"You all are insane if you actually think you can stand a chance against the likes of me!"_** Said the Dark warrior with some degree of anger within his voice. **_"If the three of you wish to kill me at the same time you are welcome to try! I will make sure to make all of you meet a painful and miserable end! Now... Come to me!"_** Said the Dark Prince before receiving four different attacks from each one of the Prince's and Kaileena's swords. He quickly parried most of them with the dagger tail. However, when Farah shot an arrow to his left arm it gave his attackers enough time to land a couple of fast but powerful hits. Despite all the blows he was receiving, he still managed to maintain an important level of speed and accuracy in his attacks. This was made clear when he managed to slash both the Prince and Kaileena's legs with a single swing of his chain. **_"Come on now! I have seen cats with greater skill!"_** He said before performing an acrobatic spin in mid air while at the same time avoiding Farah's arrows and in the process he spin kicked both of his opponents on the head, causing them to fall down. Seeing that both of his adversaries were laying on the floor he decided to focus on the princess. **_"It is time for you to disappear from this world, you pesky fly..."_** He said as he moved fast towards her.

Farah quickly pulled out her short sword and charged at him. She tried to stab his chest but he easily dodged the strike and punched her on the face making her fall a few feet away. She quickly got up with blood coming out of her nose and a large cut on her lips. _"What are you?!"_ Exclaimed the princess as she drew her bow and shot three arrows at the same time to her enemy. However, he dodged the projectiles with blurry movements. _"Damn..."._

 ** _"Nice one! But I am afraid those were the last arrows you are going to shoot. Now... be gone!"_** Said the Dark Prince waving his chain, ready to attack. Farah cursed, knowing that this time there was no way out.

 _"Hey! Coal face! You better start paying more attention to your surroundings!"_ Said a voice from behind. The Dark Prince turned only to meet with a sword which almost completely severed his left arm off. After the first strike, he received another to the chest and yet another that sent him to the air. He remained motionless on the floor.

 _"D-Dardan!"_ Said the trio at the same time.

 _"The one and only!"_ He said with a brief laugh.

 _"W-what happened to you?! You look terrible!"_ Said the concerned princess after seeing the many cuts on his body.

 _"That is a long story, Farah"_ He said as he turned his attention to the downed enemy. _"You mind telling me who or what is that freak? He does not seem to be human..."._

 _"Well, that is also a long story. But, all you need to know is that he is unlike any other enemy we have faced"_ She said while realizing that the Dark Prince was beginning getting up. _"His strength and stamina are beyond insane! Be careful!"._

 ** _"You bastard! I had totally forgotten that I still had some scum roaming my palace!"_** Said the Dark warrior furiously.

 _"Hehe! Too bad, but now I shall be your opponent! Let us see how deadly you are..."_ Thus, Dardan charged at him, not knowing how dangerous his opponent actually was. The Dark Prince attacked as well with his chain clashing fiercely with his steel and creating several sparks. He then attempted to kick his opponent in his abdomen but got quickly countered. Eventually the Dark Prince began to win the struggle and his chain started to get more and more near Dardan. _"(Damn!)"_ Thought the Persian general before performing a back flip in order to gain more distance but he immediately found himself facing his enemy who had moved alarmingly fast towards him. A devious smile appeared on the dark warrior's face when he connected a powerful hit with the daggertail, sending Dardan away. _"(He is fast...!)"._ It was at this moment when he realized that the figure before him was no ordinary warrior, no, his skills seemed to only be overshadowed by his physical strength. After some seconds immobilized by the pain of his new wound he stood up and analyzed his options. _"(It looks like the only time he leaves his guard open is when his arrogance gets the best from him. But then again, I cannot tell for sure if he will ever allow me to a-)"_ Dardan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the Dark Prince opened his mouth.

 ** _"Done thinking? Despite being severely injured by the Prince you are still able to defend yourself... Fascinating without a doubt, but worthless in the end"_**

The Prince then took advantage of the situation and crawled near Kaileena, carefully trying not to make any noise. _"Kaileena, listen. We may not be able to kill him with simple strikes, however, I noticed that each time he regenerates the marks on his body slowly lose color... Just like a dying bonfire... Also, he seems to be a little agitated from a while"_ Said the downed Prince while watching Dardan trying to hit his opponent. _"Dardan will not be able to resist for too long. We need to act fast!"._

 _"Prince! If what you say is true maybe there is a way to kill him. You see, I can gather enough power to shoot an energy blast... However, it has its risks... The attack is basically empowered by the amount of vital strength within my body"_ Said the empress, knowing pretty well that they had only once chance to kill him, let alone channeling all of her powers. _"All I need you to do is to keep him busy, understood?"_ She commanded.

 _"I... Kaileena... Got it"_ He answered before getting on his feet.

 ** _"...No! Not yet! I have no intention of killing you just yet!"_** Said the Dark Prince while brutally beating Dardan with his fists. The weakened general could do little to defend himself from the blows. He fell to the ground brutally. **_"*pant*... Not fun anymore, Dardan... *pant* I reckon it is time for me to put an end to your miserable existence"_** Said the Dark Prince as he picked him up by the neck with one hand and lifted him so that both could have eye contact. He expecting Dardan to beg for his life but instead he received a spit and a cheeky smile from him. **_"You disgusting bastard! Enjoy the other world!"_**. He then raised his other hand and prepared the final blow. However, he couldn't even land his attack because the Prince violently severed his right hand.

Dardan fell and and watched as the Prince triggered a deadly onslaught, connecting several slashes with both the water sword and his father's migthy sword. The Dark Prince rolled backwards as soon as he had the chance, painting the floor with his black blood. Severed limb suddenly morphed into a black cloud and travelled all the way to his original place. _"Nice one, Prince... Hehe, But what took you so long anyway?!"_ He asked while cleaning his bloody face the best he could.

 _"Sorry about that"_ Said the Prince as he helped Dardan to get up.

 _"Dardan, Prince! Heads up!"_ Yelled Farah, who was pointing at the Dark Prince as he pulled out the dagger of time.

 ** _"It looks like I underestimated your abilities... You seem to have such a strong death wish, I cannot help but to aid you the best I can with your request! I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO THE DARKEST PIT OF HELL!"_** He screamed before using the power of the dagger to slow down the time. Both the young general and the Prince were his first target. The Dark Prince didn't waste a single second and approached towards the duo. Nevertheless he could barely land a single attack to the Prince when the effects of the dagger seemed to end abruptly. He opened his eyes the best he could when this happened, the surprise that was engraved on his face became even greater when Dardan, taking advantage of the distraction, kicked the dagger of time away from his hand.

 _"Thank you Kaileena!"._ Both the Prince and the general unleashed many powerful and deadly strikes. However, despite being performed with flawless skill and technique, their attack's strength and power was significantly reduced thanks to their injuries and fatigue. Such was the case that the Dark Prince saw this and waited for the right time to counterattack. Eventually he parried their swings and with his daggertail he performed two flips in mid air two powerful slashes which connected perfectly. _"D-darn it! He does mot seem to get tired at all! How can we kill him if he keeps reconstructing his body!"_ Said Dardan who was almost at the verge of desperation at this point.

 _"If... We turn him into dust then there wont be anything left to reconstruct..."_ Said the Prince while touching his belly only to see the palm of his hand completely painted in red by his own blood. _"(I am exhausted... If I cannot find a way to get him fast... That is it! The dagger, one of its powers can grant me lighting speed... Faster than him)"_ He said to himself before his eyes began to search for the dagger on the floor.

 _"Turning him to dust?... Ms. Kaileena!"_ Said the general as soon as his eyes spotted Kaileena with her both hand raised. _"Is she gathering all her strength?! Wha- Prince, get down!"_ He exclaimed before jumping on top of the Prince and receiving a powerful that immediately sent him several feet away and knocked him unconscious.

 _"Dardan!"_ Yelled the Prince before receiving two blows right in the face. Luckily for him he managed to avoid the third one and block the next attack with his sword. Thus both warriors began to struggle desperately. Every single of the Prince's muscles tensed and contacted violently as he was loosing stamina little by little. With his left knee against the floor and the other barely supporting his opponent's weight, let alone his own, it was pretty clear that he was facing a potential death in that moment. _"No! I cannot lose here!"_ He said to himself.

 ** _"*Pant*... Don't make me laugh, Prince! All you did ever since you released the sands was to delay you own death and prolong your pathetic existence... What else is next, tell me! After I kill you I will reclaim MY rightful place an rule this whole land! My mark will be the war I will extend throughout all other kingdoms like the putridity corrupting a dead body! Only pleasure, glory and joy awaits me... As for you and your... friends, never ending pain and suffering in hell!"_** Said the Dark Prince with a devilish grin on his already disgusting face. **_"Stop fighting, Prince. Let it all end..."_**.

 _"D-Dardan! Wake up, please!"_ Said Farah desperately while gently holding the general's head. _"You are covered by wounds..."._

 _"Princess... I... Urgh..."_ Managed Dardan as he regained consciousness.

 _"W-what is it?! Tell me!"_ She replied.

 _"Come... closer..."_ He requested and she did as he said. Farah got as near as she could possibly get without invading his personal space but what she got from the general were no final words. No, he kissed her vigorously. For some seconds she seemed to enjoy the the kiss and he could even sense some foreign pressure on his lips. But she then separated lips and hit him in the head furiously. _"Hehe! Always wanted to kiss a princess! Now my life is complete"_ Said Dardan with a smile.

 _"Y-you fool! I hate when someone does that!"_ Answered Farah. Dardan then tried to get on his feet but an injury on his left arm prevented him from moving freely. _"Here let me help you"._ With the princess's assistance he managed to get up.

Once standing Dardan's smile vanished immediate and a much more serious tone took over his voice. _"This freak is strong, neither of us can kill him with ordinary attacks... However, I believe that whenever he regenerates his body part of his stamina goes away... In other words, if we manage to catch him after provoking an immense damage we might be able to defeat him!"._ Dardan turned and looked at Farah. _"Attacking him with our swords may not be the best option right now. Ms. Kaileena is gathering all of her power as we speak, she is capable of killing him if we reduce him into pieces... I wonder how we could-"_ He was suddenly interrupted by the princess, who immediately opened her eyes as much as she could as if she had realized something of extreme importance.

 _"I think I have found a way to reduce this monster into pieces but we need the dagger of time!"_ Said Farah. Dardan stared at her puzzled.

 _"The dagger? What do you mean?"_ He asked confused.

 _"The dagger of time can grant its user amazing speed and power for a brief time... If the dagger has enough sands we might stand a chance. Where is it?!"_ Explained the Indian princess while watching how the Prince tried to defend himself the best he could against the Dark Prince's mighty strikes.

 _"I kicked it away. It must be somewhere near, actually..."_ Said the general as his eyes examined the floor, desperately searching for the blue dagger. After some seconds which seemed like minutes he finally found it. _"There it is!"_ He exclaimed before jumping to the dagger. _"Prince! Catch!"_ Yelled the man as he threw the dagger of time to the Prince.

 _"Could this be?!"_ Said the Prince to himself before hitting his opponents chin with his elbow in order to gain enough space to catch the dagger. He made a short jump and grabbed the relic in mid air. _"I hope this works! Kaileena, are you ready?!"._

 _"Do it, Prince!"_ Replied the empress who had finally accumulated all of her life forces and was ready to release all of her powers.

 _"Say goodbye, bastard!"_ Yelled the Prince as he unleashed the power of the dagger. Immediately he could feel how everything else surrounding him got incredibly slow. He then approached the Dark Prince with lighting speed and before he could even blink he unleashed more than two hundreds of slashes with his both swords. Pieces of black flesh cut, severed limbs, and an incredibly amount of black thick liquid immediately appeared. The time limit pit an end to that carnage and the Prince knew pretty well what was the next step. He performed several back flips and got as far away from the Dark Prince's pieces, which were still in the air trying to regenerate. _"KAILEENA! NOW!"_ Cried the Prince. Kaileena then shot an immense blast of golden energy which began to obliterate everything in its way.

 _"Princess Farah! Get down!"_ Warned Dardan before jumping on top of her, knowing that such powerful strike would cause an immense explosion.

The Dark Prince's eyes were wide open when the energy blas commenced to vanish all of the severed parts of his body. **_"NO! BUT IT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!"_** Where all the Dark Prince could say before the remaining parts of his body got deleted from existence. The flash of golden light illuminated the whole place for some instants before disappearing. The blast was powerful enough to create a rather big crater in the center of the balcony.

 _"It never was..."_ Replied the Prince who was trying to get up. Suddenly Kaileena fell on her knees and collapsed in exhaustion. _"K-Kaileena!"_ He screamed desperately as he fruitlessly tried to walk without falling due to the many injuries on his legs. Knowing that he couldn't walk he began to crawl towards her as fast as he could. Dardan and Farah also approached.

 _"...Prince... We... We did it?..."_ Managed the empress with her eyes barely opened.

 _"Yes! We... We won... Now you can rest... Kaileena?"_ Answered the Prince while holding her bloody hand. His voice almost broke when he realized how deteriorated was Kaileena's health.

 _"I... I am so sorry, Prince... But I poured all of my life forces into that blast of energy... I know what comes next..."._ Before the Prince could even reply she gently stopped him by placing her index finger on his mouth. _"Listen, my prince... All my life I thought I was bounded to carry out my duties as the empress of time itself... A life filled with regrets and fear... That was it until we met..."_ Said Kaileena with tear coming out of her beautiful green eyes. _"...You, the man who was the very representation of my own demise... But you showed me mercy and treated me as your own kind... You made me realize that life can be beautiful and marvelous and I enjoyed some of it... T-thank you... My love..."._ The empress took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

 _"KAILEENA?! PLEASE, YOU CANNOT LEAVE LIKE THIS!"_ Cried the Prince with salty tears travelling across his bruised face.

 _"Ms. Kaileena..."_ Said Dardan with gloominess reflected on his face.

 _"There must be a way! We cannot just stand and do nothing!... Of course! Prince look!"_ Yelled Farah after seeing that there was something at the bottom of the crater which was created a while ago. The Prince turned and saw a small cloud of glowing sand. _"If only we could absorb that sand and somehow give it to Kaileena! She is the empress of time after all!"_ She said.

 _"You are right, we might have a chance!"_ Replied the Prince. Thus he crawled to the bottom of the hole and with the dagger of time he absorbed all the leftovers of magic sand. He then returned. _"I hope this will work!"_ He said before smashing the dagger to the floor and breaking the sand deposits which were within. The sands quickly appeared and Kaileena's body absorbed them. _"Kaileena? Wake up, please! Do not do this to me!... Kaileena!"._

 ** _SOME TIME LATER..._**

The sun was setting and offered an outstanding view from the window. Peace had been restored in Babylon and the people were working to reconstruct the city.

 _"Looks like I win... Again, Prince"_ Said Dardan after making a move with his piece. _"Seriously though, are you losing on purpose?"._

The Prince smiled and answered with a playful tone. _"Well, maybe if you would not cheat on this game so much I could stand a chance!"._

 _"Everything is ready, Dardan! I see you are still enjoying yourself with that silly game"_ Said Farah after entering the room. The man laughed and walked next to her.

 _"It seems that we have to say goodbye, Prince"_ Said Dardan a little sad.

 _"Come here!"_ Exclaimed the Prince before hugging him.

 _"Ouch! Easy now. I am still injured, you know?"_ He replied.

 _"You better be careful, Prince. I would not like to lose the new general of my army before arriving to my kingdom!"_ Said the princess between laughs. Both broke the hug after some seconds.

 _"You are all set then?"_ Said a voice from behind. Both Farah and Dardan turned only to meet with Kaileena. _"Are you sure you do not want to stay a bit longer?"_ She asked concerned.

 _"Yes, we must return to my kingdom and fix everything that the Vizier made over there..."_ Answered Farah. Both Kaileena and the Prince escorted them to the palace's gates and prepared their horses with supplies for their upcoming journey. _"We might pay you a visit from time to time, just in case some crazy vizier decides to start a war!"._

 _"You better keep practicing, Prince! Because next time I will beat you!"_ Said Dardan with a warm smile and the Prince smiled back. After that both began their journey to the India.

 _"I wonder how we ate going to tell him or her our story, Prince..."_ Said the empress with one hand on her belly.

The Prince kneeled and kissed her belly before replying. _"Time only knows, my love, time only knows..."._

 ** _THE END!_**

 ** _FINALLY I MANAGED TO END THIS FIC! HOW MANY ARE THEY? 30K/35K WORDS? IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE I FIRST UPLOADED AND I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FINISH IT BUT I DID! THANK YOU ALL FPR YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS AND I WILL SEE YOU IN FUTURE FICS!_**


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